Microcephalin (brain gene, rut roh!) distribution throughout various regions of the world...

[Felix Volkbein]

Microcephalin (haplogroup D frequency)

Southeastern and Southwestern Bantu (S. Africa) 31.3
San (Namibia) 7.1
Mbuti Pygmy (Dem. Rep. Congo) 3.3
Masai (Tanzania) 29.6
Sandawe (Tanzania) 39.1
Burunge (Tanzania) 30.4
Turu (Tanzania) 15.2
Northeastern Bantu (Kenya) 25
Biaka Pygmy (Central African Rep.) 26.6
Zime (Cameroon) 8.7
Bakola Pygmy (Cameroon) 10.4
Bamoun (Cameroon) 17.9
Yoruba (Nigeria) 24
Mandenka (Senegal) 16.7
Mozabite (Algeria) 53.5
Druze (Israel) 60.2
Palestinian (Israel) 63.8
Bedouin (Israel) 54.6
Hazara (Pakistan) 85
Balochi (Pakistan) 78.3
Pathan (Pakistan) 76.1
Burusho (Pakistan) 66
Makrani (Pakistan) 62.5
Brahui (Pakistan) 78
Kalash (Pakistan) 62.5
Sindhi (Pakistan) 78
Hezhen (China) 77.8
Mongolia (China) 100
Daur (China) 85
Orogen (China) 100
Miaozu (China) 77.8
Yizu (China) 85
Tujia (China) 75
Han (China) 82.9
Xibu (China) 83.3
Uygur (China) 90
Dai (China) 55.6
Lahu (China) 85
She (China) 88.9
Naxi (China) 95
Tu (China) 75
Cambodian (Cambodia) 72.7
Japanese (Japan) 77.8
Yakut (Russia) 98
Papuan (Papua New Guinea) 91.2
NAN Melanesian (Solomon Islands) 72.2
French Basque 83.3
French (France) 78.6
Sardinian (Italy) 90.4
North Italian (Italy) 76.9
Tuscan (Italy) 87.5
Orcadian (Scotland) 81.3
Russian (Russia) 79.2
Adygei (Russia) 63.3
Karitiana (Brazil) 100
Surui (Brazil) 100
Colombian (Colombia) 100
Pima (Mexicio) 92
Maya (Mexico) 92


Numbers lifted from here: http://elijahlarmstrong.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/woodley-rindermann-bell-stratford-piffer-2014.pdf

Might this uneven distribution have some effect on intelligence? Pshaw! Perish the thought.


Microcephalin (MCPH1) is characterized as a brain size and neuronal development-regulating gene, a recently derived G allele of which appears to have been under strong directional selection in modern human populations over the last 37,000 years (Evans et al., 2005). As a consequence it has a heterogeneous global distribution, with Sub-Saharan African populations possessing the lowest frequencies of its associated D haplogroup and East Asian and South and Central American (Amerindian) populations possessing the highest frequencies.


This study indicates that even after correcting for widely acknowledged macro influences on human intelligence, populations with higher levels of Microcephalin tend to have higher IQ averages. The data also indicate that Microcephalin and ASPM are both significant predictors of DALY Infectious diseases, and that the combined DALY variable partially mediates the association between these two alleles and IQ via HDI. The possibility exists therefore that Microcephalin and ASPM were causatively involved in producing cross-cultural differences in historical DALY Infectious disease rates, which in turn influenced the pattern of selective pressures operating on intelligence. This possibility deserves detailed theoretical consideration.

[Prisoner Of Ice]

There's hundreds of brain genes under selection that are mostly fixed in europe and/or east asia but are lacking in most of africa.

[Felix Volkbein]

There's hundreds of brain genes under selection that are mostly fixed in europe and/or east asia but are lacking in most of africa.

Indeed. Here is another study:

https://lesacreduprintemps19.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/correlation-of-the-comt-val158met-polymorphism-with-latitude-and-a-hunter-gather-lifestyle-suggests-culturee28093gene-coevolution-and-selective-pressure-on-cognition-genes-due-to-climate.pdf



The hypothesis of the present study is that ethnic groups start as hunter-gatherers in their respective geographical locations. The populations with a higher genotypic level of WM or fluid intelligence (thanks to a high frequency of the Met allele) were initially advantaged in their quest for technological progress and the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle requiring planning, such as that of agriculturalism. The behavioral inflexibility and lower emotional intelligence/altruism associated with Met allele carrier status favored the development of a hierarchical society, where resources were not shared but were concentrated in the hands of a few and formal rules governed human relationships. This first gave rise to city-states, ancient empires, and eventually the modern Western economy and society, based on monetary profit and scientific progress. Conversely, ethnic groups characterized by very low frequencies of the Met allele, but high Val frequencies, were predisposed to form deeper bonds based on reciprocity and altruism. Their higher behavioral and cognitive flexibility made it harder for them to accept the rule of formal rules or an impersonal bureaucracy

Indeed, even within hunter-gatherer societies there is variation which can be accounted for by different climatic conditions. Foragers living at higher latitudes usually employ more complex technologies and their hunting patterns require long-term planning, which would be enhanced in Met allele carriers. For example, complex foragers of the north-west coast of North America feed on seasonally abundant anadromous fish, a lifestyle that “promote[s] storage and investment in time-consuming technologies, such as weirs and smoke houses, with delayed returns” (Marlowe, 2005). Conversely, the Val allele, by conferring higher behavioral flexibility, might be subject to positive selection in more unpredictable, warmer environments.

The author used latitude as a proxy for severity of risk with higher latitudes having higher risks, and showed that the diversity of tools is positively correlated with latitude because “special purpose tools are most effective at reducing the probability of risk” (Torrence, 2001). Also the complexity of tools increases at higher latitudes because “adding extra parts can decrease time spent hunting and add to the reliability of the tool.” For example, the Australian Aranda, who live in an aseasonal environment with many alternative plant and animal resources, use very few tools. In contrast, the Angmagsalik Inuit, who have very few alternative sources of food, depend on a very diverse and complex assemblage of tools in which there are many diverse harpoon forms: for example, one type of harpoon comprises 26 parts (Torrence, 2001). Storage also varies depending on climatic condition and thus the probability of loss (i.e. risk). High-risk/high-latitude groups, such as the north-west coast Indians, developed complex ways to store and smoke salmon on which their subsistence is heavily dependent for the entire winter. On the other hand, groups with low risk, such as the !Kung Bushman or Australian Aborigines, store very little food and have little special technology to do so.

Wacker et al. (2012) showed that Met allele carriers perform significantly better on tests of fluid intelligence (Cattel’s Culture Fair Test).

This study found that national IQs are positively correlated to Met allele frequency, suggesting that Met allele frequencies are positively correlated to WM and fluid intelligence across populations, replicating at the aggregate level the findings from studies on individuals. The correlations are positive both for the whole sample and also within different racial groups, reaching an extremely high value among African people (r = 0.88). This result in turn supports the first hypothesis, which is based on the assumption that higher population Met frequencies are reflected in different ethnic cognitive profiles.

However, it is unlikely that the improvement in cognitive function from mice to primates to humans has been caused by COMT mutations alone. In fact, it is likely that COMT was only one of the many genes responsible for the increase in cognitive function observed during the evolution of the mammalian brain. The same argument could be applied to differences between human populations, so that COMT’s association with population IQ is not only causal but also due to the presence of other genes coding for more advanced cognitive abilities.

From an evolutionary perspective, it may be speculated that the personality and cognitive profile associated with the Met allele (higher stability, better planning skills) conferred higher fitness in colder climates, which are characterized by more predictable climatic conditions.


And here are Met allele percentages by population:



Met Allele %

(Africa)
0.345 Kenya Bantu + Masai
0.008 San
0.059 Biaka
0.2475 Ghana Ewe, Fanti, Ga, Gahanian
0.332 Nigeria Hausa, Ibo, Yoruba
0.206 Mbuti
0.299 Tanzania Chagga, Sandawe
0.328 Ethiopian Jews
0.33 Senegal

(South-west Asia)
0.416 Syria, Lebanon Druze
0.384 Yemeni Jews
0.57 Palestinian
0.465 Pakistan Burusho, Kalash, Pashtun, Khanty, Brahui, Hazara, Sindhi
0.45 Turks
0.5 Iran
0.232 India Kachari, Keralite

(Europe)
0.58 Basque
0.478 Russia Russians, Khanty, Komi-Zhirian, Chuvash
0.609 Danes
0.572 Estonian
0.529 Finns
0.47 French
0.533 Hungarian
0.512 Irish
0.46 Italians
0.486 Ashkenazi Jews
0.56 Orcadian
0.36 Sardinian
0.43 Spaniards
0.53 British

(East Asia)
0.25 Mongolia
0.243 China Dai, Daur, Han, Miao, Naxi, Orogen, She, Tu, Tujia, Uyghur, Yi, Hakka
0.304 Japan
0.248 Korea
0.3 Vietnam Lahu
0.297 Cambodians
0.221 Thailand
0.295 Yakut (Siberia)

(Pacific Islanders)
0.44 Papua New Guinea
0.262 Melanesia
0.135 Micronesians

(Native Americans)
0.293 Cheyenne
0.168 Pima (Arizona)
0.352 Pima (Mexico)
0.367 South-west Amerindians
0.55 Maya, Yucatan
0.013 Karitiana
0.409 Quechua
0.321 Surui
0.219 Ticuna
0.579 Inuit (Greenland)


And which alleles predominate in Blacks?


This study replicated the findings of a previous one on adult intelligence (Davies et al., 2011) which was carried out on 3511 unrelated individuals with data on over 500000 SNPs and found a significant association between fluid intelligence and FNBP1L. More precisely, the ancestral allele, T, of the SNP rs236330 is correlated with lower intelligence (see Supplementary Table 2 in Benyamin et al., 2013).


And here is the frequency of that allele:


rs236330 (T)

ASW (African ancestry in south-west USA) 0.58
CEU (Utah residents with northern and western European ancestry) 0.181
CHB (Han Chinese in Beijing) 0.099
CHD (Chinese in Metropolitan Denver Colorado) 0.128
GIH (Gujarati Indians in Houston) 0.094
JPT (Japanese in Tokyo) 0.226
LWK (Luhya in Webuye Kenya) 0.691
MEX (Mexican ancestry in Los Angeles) 0.184
MKK (Maasai in Kinyawa Kenya) 0.577
TSI (Tuscan in Italy) 0.216
YRI (Yoruban in Ibadan) 0.701


Gadzooks! It's almost like the cognitive deficiencies of Black people have a genetic basis!

[Prisoner Of Ice]

All these brain genes that are almost fixed should just be genetically engineered into everyone. That will be the end result and it will save us from suffering 1000 years of criminal retards.

[1stLightHorse]

That is interesting how Melanesians/Papuans have quite high frequency of this stuff.

I remember going to school with Papuans/Melanesians who were scouted by my school for their sporting abilities. What surprised me is that in the classroom they actually did really well and were able to apply themselves (keep in mind they were born and raised in the jungles), compared with say a black zimbabwean guy that i knew (born and raised in Australia) who was one of the dumbest fucks i've ever met and seemingly had no concept of academic discipline.

[Black Wolf]

That is interesting how Melanesians/Papuans have quite high frequency of this stuff.

I remember going to school with Papuans/Melanesians who were scouted by my school for their sporting abilities. What surprised me is that in the classroom they actually did really well and were able to apply themselves (keep in mind they were born and raised in the jungles), compared with say a black zimbabwean guy that i knew (born and raised in Australia) who was one of the dumbest fucks i've ever met and seemingly had no concept of academic discipline.

Interesringly enough the author Jared Diamond mentions in one of his books that Papuans were some of the smartest people overall that he ever met.

[Prisoner Of Ice]

They must be pretty smart they basically colonized the entire pacific, including south america. Their little catamarans could make 22 knots, no unmotored vessels capable of long journies ever came close to that.

[Felix Volkbein]

That is interesting how Melanesians/Papuans have quite high frequency of this stuff.

I remember going to school with Papuans/Melanesians who were scouted by my school for their sporting abilities. What surprised me is that in the classroom they actually did really well and were able to apply themselves (keep in mind they were born and raised in the jungles), compared with say a black zimbabwean guy that i knew (born and raised in Australia) who was one of the dumbest fucks i've ever met and seemingly had no concept of academic discipline.

Thanks for this. I was wondering about Papuans because they're one of the few groups we don't have in the U.S. in any significant numbers.

[1stLightHorse]

Thanks for this. I was wondering about Papuans because they're one of the few groups we don't have in the U.S. in any significant numbers.

There's alot of them in Australia because we're in the same region. A lot of them play high-level rugby because they can run extremely fast (usually) and some of them are very big people. Usually they're very successful in whatever they do.

The New Guinean rugby league team is probably going to be inducted into the NRL competition within the next few years because they're so dominant lately.

http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2008/07/07/1111116/848598-petero-civoniceva-and-his-father.jpg

One of the most famous Melanesian-Australians, a football player with his father pictured above.

[Han Cholo]

That is interesting how Melanesians/Papuans have quite high frequency of this stuff.

I remember going to school with Papuans/Melanesians who were scouted by my school for their sporting abilities. What surprised me is that in the classroom they actually did really well and were able to apply themselves (keep in mind they were born and raised in the jungles), compared with say a black zimbabwean guy that i knew (born and raised in Australia) who was one of the dumbest fucks i've ever met and seemingly had no concept of academic discipline.

Which supports my theory of Australoids being a superior, more progressive race than blacks. Papuans/Melanesians discovered agriculture on themselves, in a quite jungly place. I think Africans never did that.

I think Australoids downgraded only once they got into Australia and mixed with some older archaic hominids living there. Polynesians who colonized the whole pacific have lots of australoid admixture, even if they're predominantly Southern Mongoloids.