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To: Richnorth who wrote (91371)	11/23/2002 11:17:37 AM
From: E. Charters	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116898

Because there is similar DNA to different races only emphasizes that fact that we are all human. It should be noted though, that we all share some DNA with frogs and chimpanzees too, so guessing what degree of similar DNA means what degree of kinship is dangerous, until we get the DNA fully and reliably decoded. So far, this science is still in its infancy. They do not say when the obvious differentiation started to take place in any convincing way. I have my doubts about a mere 50,000 years though. Nomadic Indid races of North America started to colonize perhaps 30,000 years ago, and they were already recognizably skeletally differentiated. Some races of so-called "Aryans" or Indo-Europeans, colonizing Europe, began incursions about 25,000 years ago, and DNA echoes of their ancestry can be seen in modern Europeans. Cro-Magnon was found perhaps only 100,000 years ago. For these scientists to say that there is no genetic basis for race is ludicrous. For one thing, racial characteristics are conferred by parentage, so what is that if not genetic? Obviously racial characteristics are differentiation that is based on selection influenced by environment, particularly thermodynamics. Darker skin colour, with more pores and skin area, as found in Africans and Asians, is more able to regulate temperature in hot environments. (From Physics Theory of Black Body radiation -- Gibbs..) Lighter skin with more cilia and fewer pores, which absorbs low-sun angle UV, can store heat for colder environments. This can only be gene selected, as Darwin pointed out. It is merely political correctness that leads people to stick their heads in the sand and say that differentiation is not for a reason, and therefore insignificant. Chance differentiation does not exist, as it is without purpose. No influence on a living thing can be met without purposeful adaptation. All features of biota are purposeful and adaptive, not vestigial. I agree, however, that survival characteristics are advantage-conferring and some of the chiefest advantages needed for survival are adeptness and foresightedness. In this we can be politically correct and say surviving species adapted with cleverness and not mere fecundity. It may not be true, as has been demonstrated with EEG test on Italian groups, that all races think in the same way. Thinking patterns due to extremes in environment may have favoured different skill sets in different groups. This has long been noted by anthropologists. The Italian studies noted a different degree of brain area activation in problem solving tests. It may explain why some Italian scientists tended to me multi-faceted and generalists. EC<:-}

To: Richnorth who wrote (91371)	11/23/2002 7:26:20 PM
From: Follies	Respond to of 116898

If we are all African then we are all entitled to reparations! That's great news. I think the government owes everyone at least a million bucks.

To: Richnorth who wrote (91371)	12/5/2002 8:38:17 AM
From: long-gone	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116898

New Scientist The World's No.1 Science & Technology News Service AIDS dead could be buried in disused mines 12:50 03 December 02 NewScientist.com news service Disused mineshafts in Johannesburg could be turned into catacomb-style cemeteries, in a bid by the City Parks agency to accommodate the increasing number of people dying from AIDS. Officials are also considering alternative disposal methods, such as powdering bodies using liquid nitrogen, as well as mass graves. Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa and about 750,000 of its three million citizens are currently infected with HIV. The city's official death rate has increased by 35 percent in the last five years. It reached 19 per 1000 in 2002, largely due to an increase in AIDS-related deaths in young adults. "This year we will bury about 20,000 people. In 2010, unless someone develops a cure for AIDS, we expect that figure to be 70,000," says Alan Buff, who is responsible for cemeteries at City Parks. Old gold mines could be converted into underground streets lined with tombs, accessed from ground level by lifts, Buff says. "If it is designed and developed properly, I think people might not mind burying their relatives in these disused mineshafts," he says. Grave robbers Related Stories AIDS epidemic set to explode in Eastern Europe 26 November 2002 Lemon juice is 'HIV-killing spermicide' 10 October 2002 Anti-HIV blood factor unmasked 26 September 2002 For more related stories search the print edition Archive Weblinks Johannesburg City Parks UNAIDS Bodies are already buried on top of each other in "family" graves in about half of the city's existing cemeteries. City Parks is also in the process of acquiring an additional 1500 hectares of land to use for new cemeteries. Meanwhile, illegal cemeteries are appearing around squatter camps on the outskirts of the city. But bodies that are not buried properly can be exposed after heavy rain, posing a health risk to local people. These shallow graves are also easier to rob for body parts used in traditional medicine. Cremation would help solve space problems in cemeteries, but only six per cent of people who die in Johannesburg choose the procedure. Buff says he hopes freeze-drying might be more popular. "The body would pass through a tunnel, be exposed to liquid nitrogen and then shattered into ash using ultrasound," he says. "People are afraid of heat, but they might not be as afraid of cold. And there are no emissions from this process - that is the beauty of the system." Emma Young newscientist.com