The Study of Racialism

Solomon Islander Blondism is Independent Mutation

For a few decades now, physical anthropologists have known that the childhood blondism of Austraian Aborigines and Solomon Islanders is a native trait, and not due to gene flow from Europe. But no one knew whether the genetic adaptation was the same one that produces European blondism but evolved independently, or whether it was an entirely different mutation that yields the same result (blonde hair).

The puzzle has been solved for Solomon Islander kids. It turns out to be the second possibility above. Their blondism results from a genetic mutation on a completely different gene from European blondism.

Story here.

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Frank W. Sweet

This is very interesting, indeed. Gene TYRP1 on Chromosome 9 is responsible. The Solomon Islands variant is absent in Europeans. There is so much to be learned from studying all the world's populations.

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If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning; I'd hammer in the evening, all over this land. I'd hammer out danger; I'd hammer out a warning; I'd hammer out love between all of my brothers, all over this land. (The Weavers, 1949)

You can say that again!

The other thing that jumps out at you is that, when it comes to adaptation, there is always more than one way to skin a cat. It is amazing how malleable we are.

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Frank W. Sweet

Some time ago there was a study showing that all blue eyed people inherited the trait from a common ancestor. The problem with the study is that the researchers only looked at Europeans and West Asians (Turks, Levantines etc.). I wonder if the occasional blue eyes found in Northern and Eastern Asians is actually an independant mutation.

I live in the Bay Area which has the highest percentage of East Asians in the U.S outside of Hawaii, and I can't say I have ever seen an East Asian with natural blue eyes that are obviously not contacts.

Blue eyes are very rare to non-existent in Pacific Rim Asians, however, many Northern Asians and Mongolians have them.

Mongolians have some Caucasoid admixture due to mixing with the Russians, so of course blue eyes are not as rare in Mongolia as they are in say The Philippines and Cambodia for example.

Fixed it for you. Unless you want to be asked to define "Caucasoid" or "Caucasian", you are better off using "European".

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Frank W. Sweet

As a geopolitical or cultural term, "European" is fine but as a racial or genetic term it's just as worthless as "Caucasoid" or "Caucasian". Is there any evidence that blue eyes in Mongolians came from mixing with actual "European" people as opposed to Tocharians, Scythians, Indo-Iranians and other Central Asian peoples?

I thought that he was talking about gene flow from Europe (the geographical region).

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Frank W. Sweet

If that's what he was talking about then I think he's incorrect. Light eyes in Mongolians and Siberians may have come from mixing with Scythians and other Central Asians but not Russians or Europeans.

Considering both the Russian Empire and the Former Soviet Union either encompassed or bordered parts of Mongolia and Siberia, I wouldn't completely rule out Russian, or other European, admixture.

But otherwise, I agree with your statement.

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"Then you are a fool. Be thankful that when God gave you a face, he gave you a fool's face."