evolution discussion: can ancestry effect ability to learn/retain information.

[SqueektheWeek]

I was having a discussion with my girlfriend about a recent story we had read about. The story involved a couple of athletes citing another athlete's ethnicity as a factor for winning. The sport is gymnastics; the comment, and not part of my discussion but part of the backstory of ours, is something like "we should of painted ourselves black." Their coach or some such, who may have been trying to cover for them, tried to elaborate in that "the sport has been dominated by Eastern Europeans or w/e for a while and the sport is evolving to a point where a stronger physical frame is needed to perform certain routines."

We discussed how evolution due to regional/cultural/whatever differences can/has caused different bloodlines to physically be more adaptable to certain things, immune to different things, pigments to protect from light, etc.

Our point of contention was regarding the ability to process and retain information. Obviously intelligence is difficult to quantify. book smarts, experience, common sense etc are different in every region and some parts of those things are the same from one region to another but not to another still.

She believes that every infant without some sort of deformity is capable of the same amount of information processing and so forth as any other and I argue that it could be different based on ancestry/evolution/civilization/etc in a region.

Do you believe that given the same opportunity for instruction even w/e kind of instruction worked that every life could process and retain the same amount or complexity of information?

[Deleted]

I think intelligence doesn't vary much from one ethnicity to another. Minor differences? Possibly.

It's more noticable when comparing gender rather than race.

[Nanaboostme]

Well there's two parts to it when it comes to a new born baby in general. There's Human genetics & survival of the fittest/Man of Science/Pre determinism and there's Man of Faith/Spirituality/Morality.

If you're born with a deformation, it's basically a flaw in evolution and a part of Nature. Even though I believe that all are born neutral when it comes to morality/ good & evil, it's how they're raised, influenced; what they go through, etc that manipulates the chemistry and activity of the brain as well. You might be born where clinical depression, cancer, etc can be detected early on with science, even whether you have natural instincts in your brain of being ' a serial killer' aka desire to kill. But when it comes to morality, its a complete different story as there's a question whether purpose or morality would even exist if nature never created consciousness or the human brain. Ultimately there's a lot of co-existing factors, whether scientifically or psychologically or socially.

[Sierra85]

gene abnormalities can play a role, but i think your environmental factors play a larger part in the intellect development.

[Malachi256]

Intelligence is a pretty complex subject and hard to nail down. But there's no question that the various kinds of intelligence are largely inherited - anyone saying otherwise is quite simply ignorant. "You can be anything if you put your mind to it" is a nicety, but it has no basis in reality.
Including race in the discussion is just bait. There is a very wide range of intelligences within any particular race, and any perceived average differences between races is likely better explained by other factors rather than just inherent differences.

[Vash The Stampede]

You are made up of proteins, and proteins are made from RNA which comes from DNA. So yes, DNA which comes from ancestors play a key roll in your IQ. Just ask the monkeys.

Also keep in mind that gene therapy will probably change all that in the near future. The question is, would you want to become smarter?

Biotech Firm Wants To Trial Gene Editing In Humans In 2017
Gene Editing Saves The Life Of Baby Girl With Terminal Cancer

[Deleted]

Obvious answer is obvious.

Evolution decides every advantage and disadvantage you have compared with all other forms of life.

How well do blades of grass survive against cows?

Cows and grass share the same common ancestor, as do you.

Major advantages, like those i just pointed out are obvious.

Minor advantages are harder to identify, but they are all still there.

[Hooked]

I have read the bell curve several times, I keep it on my nightstand for occasional reading. There are many factors regarding intelligence and ancestry is the main one.

[Cosmoz]

Definitely does, just look at Africa and Africans in general.

[Independent voter]

OP seems like race bashing, like the kind they used to do in the 1950's.

DNA gets around. DNA wise there's practically no difference between whites and blacks.

[Hooked]

OP seems like race bashing, like the kind they used to do in the 1950's.

DNA gets around. DNA wise there's practically no difference between whites and blacks.

Yeah practically no difference. I agree fully.

[StayTuned]

People from more educated / elitist / academical houses tend to do better in school.

I let you judge if that's due to genetics, because I cannot say for sure.

Most likely it's a 20/80 thing, 20% being your genes. You are probably born with different affinities - how else do you explain prodigy children who can already read while still being a fetus, if you excuse this hyperbole.

[Deleted]

OP seems like race bashing, like the kind they used to do in the 1950's.

DNA gets around. DNA wise there's practically no difference between whites and blacks.

Very ignorant statements to make.

Theres not much dna difference between humans and bananas either. (google it).

The differences that matter do not lie with dna particles, but more how they have been put together and how your construct allows you to behave in your environment.

A long nosed insect will allow it to survive where food is stored in long petalled flowers for example. Short nosed insects die and theur gene pool eliminated.

Humans are no different.

Celebritues flourish because of their vocal talents for example. Those without, perish.

Sportsman thrive where they were born with physical advantages. Those without, perish.

Businessmen thrive where they were born with intellectual advantage. Those without, perish.

Evolution is responsible for EVERY successful survival opportunity realised in each and every life form ever created on this planet.

Only naievity and ignorance would state otherwise.

[Exception]

Yes

[Deleted]

Yes

Sadly (at least for me), IQ doesnt directly relate to how much money you earn.

Otherwise i would be a multi multi millionaire. Possibly a billionaire ������

[Spectral]

This is obviously true, trivial to demonstrate, and is one of the few social science findings that consistently replicates on further study. It's also impolite to point out and surely should never be used to judge individuals.

Hard to have a serious discussion about gaps in education without noticing the differences in testable innate ability though.

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DNA gets around. DNA wise there's practically no difference between whites and blacks.

This is just flatly wrong - the populations weren't strictly isolated, but the flow of DNA between Africa, Asia, and Europe was quite minimal for tens of thousands of years.

[dextersmith]

It could pass on relevant diseases.

[Gheld]

Yes

Assuming this isn't just pulling data from the days when IQ tests asked loaded questions that were academically biased against proportions of the population who couldn't afford to attend school...

"Frequency distributions for populations of equal size" sounds like "Not a random sample."

For a statistical study to be scientifically valid it has to use a random sample. So they would have to test the IQ of 100-1000 randomly selected people across the globe.

EDIT: LAwl, I followed that image to it's linking source, and it comes right off some lolworthy white supremacist site.

[oxymoronic]

I think intelligence doesn't vary much from one ethnicity to another. Minor differences? Possibly.

It's more noticable when comparing gender rather than race.

your average asian and average african american is so far its absurd. almost different species.

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EDIT: LAwl, I followed that image to it's linking source, and it comes right off some lolworthy white supremacist site.

i followed cause i read your comment, what makes you think it is a "lolworthy white supremacist site"? the fact they asked the question why is deaths rising in middle aged white men? would this be a hispanic supremacist site if the author and readers were brown instead? is it only a supremacist site when its white people?

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OP seems like race bashing, like the kind they used to do in the 1950's.

DNA gets around. DNA wise there's practically no difference between whites and blacks.

why blacks are way better at sports than whites? why do whites do better on tests? DNA bro... DNA

[Gheld]

your average asian and average african american is so far its absurd. almost different species.

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Actually the concept of "race" is very highly disputed in it's scientific merit and that while REGIONAL variations do exist in people's DNA the whole "Race" thing is largely an abstract construct based on superficial observation.

i followed cause i read your comment, what makes you think it is a "lolworthy white supremacist site"? the fact they asked the question why is deaths rising in middle aged white men? would this be a hispanic supremacist site if the author and readers were brown instead? is it only a supremacist site when its white people?

It might have to do with the fact that following their forum link leads to http://whitebiocentrism.com/index.php

Or the article on the front page of their news feed suggesting that Black people be given "very long acting sleeping pills". I mean.. That's highly open to interpretation

Black (and other non-White) people sleep differently from — and not as well as — Whites. What’s the reason? White “racism,” of course. Maybe we should give them some really powerful, long-lasting sleeping pills.

So I mean..they could be advocating for increased prescription drug coverage for black people...but the whole whitebiocentrism thing leads me to believe that the author of that is suggesting that black people should all die.
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why blacks are way better at sports than whites? why do whites do better on tests? DNA bro... DNA

Maybe because a lot of universities aim sports related scholarship programs towards economically disadvantaged youths and that in many parts of the world blacks are more likely to be economically disadvantaged and thus being good at a sport is the difference between receiving a post secondary education or working 3 jobs for 7 dollars an hour for the rest of their life.