Don't fly immediately off the handle since this isn't an accusation of scientists attending KKK meetings since they're usually the least racist people you will ever find. Intelligence and racism, as you know already, are not compatible. Instead, the work was a remarkable study to discover deficits in existing study. (Science Daily: Major racial bias found in leading genomics databases)
The importance of study is to all of us:
"By better understanding the important role of African ancestry in clinical genetics, we can begin to actually identify a disease that has been forgotten or is not part of an individual's self-identification," says O'Connor. "For example, if an African-American patient walks in the door, he might have 20 percent European ancestry, while another might have 20 percent African ancestry. That difference will dramatically change how many variants are found in their genome, and what disease risks they might encounter. That's why we need to expand these databases to include a broader range of ancestries, in order to produce more accurate medical genetic diagnoses."
The importance of study is to all of us:
"By better understanding the important role of African ancestry in clinical genetics, we can begin to actually identify a disease that has been forgotten or is not part of an individual's self-identification," says O'Connor. "For example, if an African-American patient walks in the door, he might have 20 percent European ancestry, while another might have 20 percent African ancestry. That difference will dramatically change how many variants are found in their genome, and what disease risks they might encounter. That's why we need to expand these databases to include a broader range of ancestries, in order to produce more accurate medical genetic diagnoses."
- Science Daily
When the original African genomes are effectively the parental genomes for all of us, the vital importance of a comprehensive study in genetic research becomes all the greater.
As an aside which really is based in racism, I commented some days ago on a racial protest and received a high five from someone who I assume is black. She remarked about the blazing racism of old white people. I promise I wasn't feeling defensive but I did send back to her, well, not all of us are that way and, well, I'm sixty-five.
That didn't bring about adoring trust and it would be arrogant to expect it would but I do think it's important to try to stay in touch with people since failing to do that is largely what creates the environment for racism. There are many other causes of it but cultural and / or physical isolation likely facilitates all of them. Humans do well usually when we talk to each other and hardly ever do well when we don't.
You know how it goes.
Whether you're white, black, or purple, you need them to have that genomics data to be able to make fully-educated decisions from any use they may make of the information and these scientists are working in creative ways to ensure that is true.
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