…and this is a 
What a curious paper — it's fine research, and it's a useful dollop of data, but it's simultaneously so 21st century and on the edge of being completely trivial. It's like a tiny shard of the future whipping by on its way to quaintness.
Researchers have for the first time sequenced the genome of an Irishman, a fellow confirmed to be the product of at least 3 generations of fully Irish ancestors.
It's a good piece of work, another piece in the puzzle of human genomics, but it's also a little bit odd. I'm always excited to see another organism's genome sequenced, the first marsupial, the first sea anemone, the first avian, etc., and it's also become a bit commonplace (oh, another bacterium sequenced…); it's just weird to see "Irish" announced as a new novel addition to the ranks of sequenced organisms, as if it were Capitella or something. Cool, but a little jarring.
It's also a genre with limited prospects. If you're busy sequencing the first Armenian or the first New Guinean or the first Luxembourger, work fast — I can't quite imagine that most will warrant a publication, except as a formality, as I imagine this paper is. We're entering the era of personalized genomics, when anyone will be able to get their sequence done for under a thousand dollars. I don't imagine that a paper titled "Sequencing and analysis of PZ Myers' human genome" will get published in Nature. But if anyone wants to try, I'll gladly send them a few cells and my permission.
Anyway, the paper got the sequence of this Irish fella. They identified many unique single nucleotide polymorphisms that may be useful molecular markers of Irish ancestry; a few of the new alleles seem to be associated with diseases like inflammatory bowel and chronic liver problems. They identified a few genes bearing the signature of positive selection. Here are their conclusions:
The first Irish human genome sequence provides insight into the population structure of this branch of the European lineage which has a distinct ancestry from other published genomes. At 11 fold genome coverage approximately 99.3% of the reference genome was covered and more than 3 million SNPs were detected, of which 13% were novel and may include specific markers of Irish ancestry. We provide a novel technique for SNP calling in human genome sequence using haplotype data and validate the imputation of Irish haplotypes using data from the current Human Genome Diversity Panel (HGDP-CEPH). Our analysis has implications for future re-sequencing studies and suggests that relatively low levels of genome coverage, such as that being used by the 1000 genomes project, should provide relatively accurate genotyping data. Using novel variants identified within the study, which are in linkage disequilibrium with already known disease associated SNPs, we illustrate how these novel variants may point towards potential causative risk factors for important diseases. Comparisons with other sequenced human genomes allowed us to address positive selection in the human lineage and to examine the relative contributions of gene function and gene duplication events. Our findings point towards the possible primacy of recent duplication events over gene function as indicative of a genes likelihood of being under positive selection. Overall we demonstrate the utility of generating targeted whole genome sequence data in helping to address general questions of human biology as well as providing data to answer more lineage-restricted questions.
Hey, it's data. But I think it will be made much more interesting when it acquires more context. One Irish genome doesn't give us much information on Irish variation. It's information to complement the 1000 Genomes Project (the Irish study is not part of that bigger project), which intends to take a nice snapshot of human genetic diversity by sampling 100 individuals from each of 10 distinct populations. Then the hard part comes: comparing and analyzing everything.
Oh, and the digging out from all the ethnic jokes that will appear in the comments.
Tong P, Prendergast JGD, Lohan AL, Farrington SM, Cronin S, Friel N, Bradley DG, Hardiman O, Evans A, Wilson JF and Loftus BJ (2010) Sequencing and analysis of an Irish human genome. Genome Biology (in press)
Life Science
Comments
Posted by: Teh Merkin
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September 7, 2010 1:31 PM
I'll start a drunken brawl with the first person to stereotype the Irish.
Posted by: johnsma11berries
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September 7, 2010 1:37 PM
Come on, as if you weren't stacking the deck in favor of ethnic jokes by explicitly mentioning "chronic liver problems".
Posted by: Thaddeus
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September 7, 2010 1:39 PM
Great.
Now I have a semester of affirmations, by smart-ass freshman, that science has "proven" that there's an "Irish race" to look forward to.
[Roll eyes]
Posted by: Katharine
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September 7, 2010 1:44 PM
This could actually be a very interesting precedent to figuring out which diseases tend to be more prevalent among which ethnic groups. Most people know their ethnic ancestry; many don't know their family history back more than a handful of generations at most. Genealogy takes time and effort, but a database of genomes of people with at least three generations' worth of ancestry from a certain ethnic background could contribute a considerable amount of knowledge to both heritable diseases and the minutiae of human migration.
Posted by: Wayne
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September 7, 2010 1:46 PM
This will sound frivolous but I am quite serious. The attempt is noble but utter nonsense in fact. How can anyone guarantee that one's purported male ancestors are indeed one's genuine male ancestors, especially for three entire generations. Sorry, I'm not buying this.
Posted by: Katharine
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September 7, 2010 1:47 PM
Wayne, Y-chromosomes.
Posted by: frustum.myopenid.com
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September 7, 2010 1:48 PM
Maybe this will shed some light on whether H. floresiensis and leprechauns are related.
Posted by: Miles670
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September 7, 2010 1:55 PM
Taken me just over an hour to read through the posts from the past few days. There's no better way to kick off my new internet connection than to boot up, hit the chrome button and click my pharyngula bookmark for a good hour of feeling clever.
Anybody able to recommend a few other decent blogs like this? I've checked out a few in the past but i like the laymans format PZ has going as i'm no biologist. I realise a quick google search will bring up a few but i'd prefer to take the word of the people here :D
Posted by: ecurve
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September 7, 2010 2:04 PM
Hunh. I remember there being some research done a few years back, linking some huge percentage of Irishmen to a certain medieval Irish king.. *rustles around Wikipedia* Here we go: Niall of the Nine Hostages, thought by some to be the direct ancestor of some 21% of Irishmen. But their methodology seems a bit suspect: they just saw a particular marker, estimated that it was some 1700 years old, and linked it to a famous guy who lived around then and had well-attested male-line descendants. (Niall had eight sons.) But there's no reason it had to be Niall--the ancestor might just as easily have been some random guy.
I kind of feel the same way about this study. They've extrapolated too much from this one guy's genome.
Posted by: Justin Rosario
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September 7, 2010 2:07 PM
"chronic liver problems"? Really? REALLY?! If I was Irish, I would be VERY offended. Or I would be having an "aHA!" moment. Either way...
Posted by: seanjreynolds
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September 7, 2010 2:07 PM
I'm Irish, but I think this is just step on in some mad scientist plot to great a chimera of those regional stereotype jokes.
An Englishman, a Scotsman and an Irishman walk into a bar. It screams "What AM I??" rolling its three heads and serpentlike tongue before the barman kills it with fire.
Posted by: Weegiewarbler
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September 7, 2010 2:08 PM
Katharine.... I think Wayne was casting doubt upon the the word of the female line that the supposed male line had indeed the donated the DNA!
In which case... anyones guess who came from whom!
Posted by: jay.sweet
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September 7, 2010 2:12 PM
Well that just went and spoiled all the fun!
Posted by: Katharine
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September 7, 2010 2:19 PM
Ah, but see, genetics makes this verifiable.
Posted by: Don1
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September 7, 2010 2:20 PM
Miles670,
Well, just my personal opinion but you could do worse than;
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/
http://www.butterfliesandwheels.org/
http://www.badscience.net/
http://www.atheistmedia.com/
Posted by: cervantes
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September 7, 2010 2:21 PM
Seamus and Pat are sitting at the bar and Pat says, "Did you know that we only use one third of our brains?" Seamus replies "Really? What do we do with the other third?"
(I think that's originally a Click and Clack joke about Italians but it will do here.)
Posted by: Steve LaBonne
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September 7, 2010 2:22 PM
What a letdown. I was expecting the Irish equivalent of this: http://nitro.biosci.arizona.edu/humor/cmap.txt
;)
Posted by: Dude... Real Men Watch Ponies!
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September 7, 2010 2:28 PM
Cool.
Reminded me of a data-mining project my team were doing in college.
Basically trying to figure out whether there are any significant racial marker in SNPs.
Our result?
African descent has a fairly wide (a lot of difference even among the same population) distribution. With those living in America contributing a tail towards European descent.
Asian (Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnam region) have next to no separation (standard statistic measure cannot determine any meaningful difference between the three sets).
Guess there's something to the "All Asians looked the same).
Posted by: Multicellular
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September 7, 2010 2:34 PM
That's nice, but I'm more interested in sequencing their lucky charms.
ducking...
Posted by: Marzie
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September 7, 2010 2:39 PM
I guess I'd be quibbling more about the paltry sample size for the study (I mean for real, one guy and it's getting published as the Irish genomic sample???) if I weren't intrigued by the disease association findings. Since that seems to be very representative of my Irish family.
Sometimes the magnitude of difference between requirements for publishing in genetics vs in physical science is quite interesting to me. But a genome is a very big thing, so...
Chronic liver diseases indeed...
Posted by: Joffan
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September 7, 2010 2:52 PM
Katherine - I have 4 great-grandfathers but only one gave me the Y-chromosome I carry, straight down the male line. My X chromosome, on the other hand, could have come any of my mother's grandparents.
On the other hand, genetic analysis could indeed establish paternity beyond reasonable doubt. Just don't limit it to the sex chromosomes.
Posted by: MoeLarryAndJesus
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September 7, 2010 2:54 PM
There WAS an Irish race, but we all quit about halfway through and crowded into a pub for a pint.
And then some more pints.
Posted by: masturbating monkey
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September 7, 2010 2:57 PM
I believe they prefer "leipreachán" I don't think they appreciate being called Gnomes. How would you like it if I called you a prosimians.
Posted by: Silič O'Nopolitanopoulos, Färschdbischuf Beesknees aus Ulm und Klein Elguth, Elector Pharynguline.
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September 7, 2010 2:59 PM
Was he at least from the West coast? They're supposed to be the last ones to be driven into the ocean come each new invasion.
Posted by: Pinkydead
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September 7, 2010 2:59 PM
@#19
Speaking as an actual green blooded Irish person: WTF are "Lucky Charms"?
That's a rhetorical question. I am aware of them as some kind of breakfast food in the US - but I have no idea what they are (we have spuds and turf for breakfast like everyone else).
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mary Mother of God, Joseph, All the Angels and Saints - I do hope this stereotyping does not get out of hand.
Posted by: Brownian, Most Vicious & Petty of Pharyngulites
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September 7, 2010 3:03 PM
FIFY.
I'll be very interested in finding out exactly which chromosome carries the gene for terrible cuisine.
Posted by: Peter Magellan
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September 7, 2010 3:08 PM
"...which has a distinct ancestry from other published genomes"? Do I hear the squeal of an axe being ground? Are the researchers of Irish ancestry, perchance?
I bet the first Welshman is having his genome sequenced as we speak... :-)
Posted by: jay.sweet
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September 7, 2010 3:09 PM
It's a breakfast cereal marketed to children that consists of grain bits and stale marshmallows, with the marshmallows in a rainbow of shapes, like yellow moons, green clovers, etc.
The advertising features a leprechaun who complains about the children "always trying to steal me Lucky Charms!" in a thick Irish accent. I am unaware of whether that line of TV commercials is still active, as I don't watch broadcast or cable TV anymore.
(Not because I'm one of those people who has escaped the bonds of the Magical Picture Machine, god no... I just discovered it was cheaper to have Netflix, an XBox 360, and a broadband internet connection than it was to pay for cable)
Posted by: Brownian, Most Vicious & Petty of Pharyngulites
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September 7, 2010 3:18 PM
Phew. For a minute I thought Area Man was trolling the comments.
Posted by: JackC
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September 7, 2010 3:21 PM
Blast it all, I can't recall the name of the rather famous Irishman that was once on, I believe, "Wait, Wait - Don't tell me". He was asked something like "Do you have Lucky Charms in Ireland.
I believe his answer was something along the lines of "Praise be to God, we do NOT."
JC
Posted by: JackC
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September 7, 2010 3:32 PM
Found it :-D. Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains. About 5:20 in. He actually said (to "Do you have them in Ireland"
"We certainly don't - thanks be to God"
I was close!
JC
Posted by: Cannabinaceae
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September 7, 2010 3:42 PM
Well, at least now, if someone trots out the "No True Irishman" fallacy, we can respond with, "Well then, if you'll just be after takin' a wee gander at me haplotype, then".
Posted by: Sven DiMilo
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September 7, 2010 3:49 PM
This paper is a farce. Did they find the brogue gene? The whiskey gene? The jig gene? The ginger gene? No?
what a joke
Posted by: sendittodevnull
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September 7, 2010 3:56 PM
That's all fine and good and all, but was it a catholic genome or a protestant genome they sequenced?
Posted by: Josh, "Raquel Dommage," Porte-parole Gay Official
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September 7, 2010 3:57 PM
Don't let 'em fool you. They were just after his lucky charms.
Posted by: waynerobinson4
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September 7, 2010 4:13 PM
The world's shortest joke:
"Two Irishmen walk out of a bar ...
I think it would actually be interesting to completely sequence a Swede and a Papuan Highlander.
Jared Diamond said that these two populations, separated by 40,000 years and 20,000 km differ less genetically than two populations of common chimps separated by a few hundred kilometres.
What it would illustrate, is how little genetic difference there actually is between groups too many make too much fuss about.
Posted by: seanjreynolds
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September 7, 2010 4:17 PM
Well, story goes we had the fine cuisine gene, but the British came over and turned it off hundreds of years ago because that's what they do to the Irish. Our ancestors' sense of taste decayed until they just ate the same crappy vegetable over and over. Millions of people died of monotony in the Potato Excess years and it's a touchy subject still to this day.
Posted by: https://me.yahoo.com/a/SaqGVG0xvJEQVwURVamS3DTCdvov0BLhXK1jOsYPPJQ-#b4893
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September 7, 2010 4:20 PM
It was execution day in the jail, and a bunch of men are standing in line for their turn with the guillotine. The first man, a Scot, puts his head in, silently says his goodbyes, recalling a life well spent, thinking, Yeah, I probably deserve this.
Thwack. The blade stops just centimeters from the neck. According to the law, the man is free, since the executioner can only take one shot at it.
Second guy, an Englishman, walks up, thinks thoughts similar to those of the Scot... And is again saved because, once again, the Death Machine malfunctions. Again, he is set free.
The rest of the men begin to get excited, thinking that this is their lucky day, and they will all soon be free.
The third man in line, the Irishman, walks up to the machine and, looking up, says to the executioner, "Hey, I think I see the problem."
Thank you. I'll be in the park every Tuesday.
MikeM
Posted by: Krystalline Apostate
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September 7, 2010 4:21 PM
Seamus & Patrick are staggering down the road, singing.
Seamus says, "Aye, & will ye pour a good bottle o' Irish whiskey on me grave?"
Patrick says, "Oy, & I hope ye don't mind it goes thru me kidneys first."
Posted by: --E
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September 7, 2010 4:39 PM
Sili, The Unknown Virgin @ #24:
That was my first question! I mean, really, it's an island, but anyone who knows Irish history knows it's hardly an isolated gene pool.
Granted, it's mostly a northern-European gene pool, but if anyone thinks they can tease out Celt vs Gael vs Pict vs six or eight related Germanic groups (via various paths), and show how the Irish are distinct from the French, Dutch, or even Russians, I'd like to see that.
The whole history of Ireland is one damn group after another raiding, settling, and eventually going native.
Posted by: Bad Earl
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September 7, 2010 4:47 PM
Hope nobody takes this the wrong way, but it would be very interesting to know if the Irish have the same, or more, or fewer Neanderthal genes than other Europeans. We have recently learned that all Europeans (exlcuding those who have African ancestory) have Neanderthal genes, and it is believed that Neanderthals had red hair. Maybe the Neanderthals made their last stand in Ireland, and not the Straits of Gibraltar as is commonly believed.
Posted by: Phil
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September 7, 2010 5:03 PM
Newbie here. Speaking as an Irishman, I think they forgot to point out the locations of the booze gene, the feckin' expletive gene, and the "cute hoor" gene (this last is particularly prevalent in politicians, bankers, etc.). And have they compared our genetic code to that of the leprechaun? Who knows, we might even be related. *shudders*
Bad Earl: I would be interested to see that too, it would explain a few things I've seen here in Galway.
Posted by: Phil
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September 7, 2010 5:05 PM
Damn, I forgot to add this:
PZ, could you please add a link to this paper? I would just love to spread it.
Posted by: becominginvisible
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September 7, 2010 5:12 PM
Sven, what...a shoe gene?
Posted by: Pyre
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September 7, 2010 5:13 PM
Bad Earl, there were redheads among the Scandinavians as well, and Ireland had Viking incursions in the Middle Ages (the city of Dublin having begun as one of their settlements).
It's a bit hard at this late date to un-stir the pot, but perhaps a good wide genetic survey could pick apart all the separate ingredients.
PZ, one non-trivial outcome might be ethnological: there's been debate about when and from where the oldest population of Ireland arrived, from Spain (i.e. Celt-Iberians) as the traditional "Book of Conquests" claims, or from among the Gallic Celts. If genetic markers can be found to match among Continental descendants of those peoples, we may at last have a decisive answer.
Posted by: https://me.yahoo.com/a/SaqGVG0xvJEQVwURVamS3DTCdvov0BLhXK1jOsYPPJQ-#b4893
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September 7, 2010 5:18 PM
So would I. Our cockatiel is very messy.
MikeM
Posted by: MosesZD
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September 7, 2010 5:23 PM
Actually, it could easily be true. And with 8 sons, I'm sure a LOT of his genes were passed on, though many a marker could have been lost over time. And if you think of the average generation being about 32 years. And you think how ancestors double each generation.
With 56 generations in 1700 years... Well, you'll, within a relatively short-time, have more ancestors than there have been humans ever alive in Ireland.
The key is, of course, in-breeding. Humans do a LOT of inbreeding. That in-breeding tends to slow down the swapping of genes. So, all things considered, there's a good chance that 21% is way to low.
Now, if Ireland had been less in-bred in its sexual practices, it's, frankly, a mathematically a hell of a lot closer to 100% that an Irishman is related king whats-his-name than not. Even if he/she doesn't have the markers.
But that particular assertion would require much, much more genetic churning than was likely possible due to it being a relatively sedentary agrarian region. Which is highly unlikely.
So, I'm not unhappy with 21%. I think it's a fairly conservative estimate considering the potential dilution of his gene pool through-out the Irish population.
As a bit of an aside... I always think this is funny. People seem to forget just how inbred we are. We're all cousins. Some pools of cousins are slightly more related than others, especially in Alabama. But, none-the-less we're all a bunch of slightly-to-greatly in-bred cousins.
Posted by: JackC
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September 7, 2010 5:25 PM
Did someone say Pict?
JC
Posted by: MetzO'Magic
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September 7, 2010 6:41 PM
Gattaca. It's *made from Guinness*! I fuckin' knew it!!!
Posted by: MadScientist
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September 7, 2010 6:52 PM
Chronic liver problem? And here I thought it was just that Irish moonshine.
Inflamed bowel - goddamn, that *is* common in my Irish ancestors and for years I've been hoping it won't happen to me. Actually it's much worse than that - an extremely high rate of ass cancer.
Posted by: Skeprechaun O'Neill
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September 7, 2010 7:00 PM
Don't want to get too 'serious' but there is some potential for this project.
There is a lot of evidence for a very restricted gene pool in Ireland after the famine. We have very high instances of many congenital diseases, and I presume the 'spin' towards out 'chronic liver conditions' etc is pointing out that as an avenue of exploration. For example we already know that about one in 18 Irish people carry the gene for cystic fibrosis, and also have the worse level of care for sufferers in Europe. So this kind of work can perhaps strengthen the case for some lobbying groups.
As a red haired Irish woman who (hoping that my grandfathers great grandfathers etc did not sleep around) can find any exotic blood in her family - I'd like to say "Póg Mo Thóin!"
Posted by: F
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September 7, 2010 7:02 PM
Pyre @ 45
Only problem with that is that it is far more likely that Celts are related by culture, but not so much by a somewhat defined ancestry or gene pool.
Posted by: Tulse
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September 7, 2010 7:06 PM
You're old for knowing that song.
I'm old for recognizing the reference.
*sigh*
Posted by: legistech
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September 7, 2010 7:17 PM
I'm betting you don't watch a lot of Asian tv. They'll find the differences, and then use them to "prove" that their own "race" is superior.
Posted by: Skeprechaun O'Neill
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September 7, 2010 7:21 PM
Sorry edit:
As a red haired Irish woman who (hoping that my grandmothers great grandmothers etc did not sleep around) can't find any exotic blood in her family - I'd like to say a cheeky "Póg Mo Thóin!" to all dissenters ;)
Sorry it's late over here in the land of the little people!
Posted by: murtagh
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September 7, 2010 7:48 PM
Wayne @ #36:
No, "Baby seal walks into a club" is the short joke. Trust me, it takes forever for two Irishmen to walk out of a pub.
My joke may not be relevant to the article, but #23 by masturbating monkey and #34 by sendittodevnull stole me L-luck-ck... (*choke*)... punchlines.
Posted by: murtagh
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September 7, 2010 7:51 PM
BTW, if we haven't already sequenced a Swede and a Papuan Highlander, how does Jared Diamond know that to be true?
Posted by: waynerobinson4
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September 7, 2010 8:03 PM
"No, "Baby seal walks into a club" is the short joke. Trust me, it takes forever for two Irishmen to walk out of a pub".
That's the point; Irishmen don't walk out of bars. They reel out of bars, they stagger out of bars ... (similar to the way PZ reckon we Australians perambulate after leaving the pub).
"BTW, if we haven't already sequenced a Swede and a Papuan Highlander, how does Jared Diamond know that to be true?"
That's what had me suggesting that we should do it; it would prove that it's true.
Posted by: Birger Johansson
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September 7, 2010 8:22 PM
Frustum @ 7:
"Maybe this will shed some light on whether H. floresiensis and leprechauns are related."
For leprechauns and their habits, see "Wormwood, Vol. 2". BTW, in Leprechaunia, all the wells provide beer, there is no such thing as pure water. http://www.amazon.com/Wormwood-Vol-Only-Hurts-When/dp/1600101623/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283904373&sr=1-1
This graphic novel is very...graphic. Alas, the squid people from space killed off all leprechauns, except for the "Queen".
Posted by: Tigger_the_Wing
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September 7, 2010 8:46 PM
Leipreachán? I prefer Eoin Colfer's L.E.P. Recon* officers. Especially Captain Holly Short.
Ten years ago there was quite a drive from the Dáil to get the Irish Diaspora home to fuel the boom. Those of us who moved into the countryside (especially Co. Cork, aka "The Rebel County"), despite mostly being made to feel more than welcome, met with some anti-English sentiment from the occasional local.
It would certainly have helped to be able to point to a genome sequence and say "Hey, I'm as Irish as you, despite the accent!"
*Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance Unit, IIRC.
Posted by: qquiscula
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September 7, 2010 9:23 PM
PZ, I am on the edge of my seat! When are you going to blog about the Quran-burning priest? Does this stupidity speak for itself?
Posted by: John Scanlon FCD
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September 7, 2010 10:06 PM
I think we'll have a better chance with a title of "Sequencing and analysis of PZ Myers' squid genome".
(I can hardly believe no-one else got there first! But that's how you get papers in Nature...)
Posted by: CherryBombSim
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September 7, 2010 11:24 PM
3 generations is not a very long time. All it would take would be finding someone whose grandparents were from Ireland. Surely they could have done better than that if they were seriously searching for an "Irish" genome.
Posted by: MadScientist
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September 7, 2010 11:27 PM
@Moses#47: A generation being 32 years? That was more like above average for life expectancy. I don't know the history of how a "generation" came to be 25 years, but I've never heard of it being 32. I thought 25 seemed a bit long as well; after all in Melbourne Australia there's this joke: What do you call a 27-year old Frankston woman? Grandma!
Posted by: GayHedBri
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September 7, 2010 11:29 PM
The Movie, "Michael Collins" with Liam Neeson is awesome!
Posted by: abb3w
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September 7, 2010 11:30 PM
Well, it looks like the Irish jokes are going to keep this from being a good thread to ask (a) what IS the "signature of positive selection" or (b) what are the ratios of positive:neutral:delterious mutations shown.
Perhaps I'll just go find the paper.
After I sober up.
Thursday, perhaps.
Posted by: ihateaphids
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September 7, 2010 11:52 PM
This is honestly the kind of paper, as a non-human geneticist i get annoyed at (mildly): its incredibly awesome, as it contributes useful data to geographic studies of variation. I don;t get annoyed at the data or the value of the data, but of where the $ comes from! I could have a very difficult time getting funding to sequence a single individual's genome for a whole new species! What use is a single genome for some random species!? none for the most part, on it's own. But I could use a single genome to design many MANY studies for an organism.
So, this project rules, and should be encouraged, not only within our own species, but in our close non homonid relatives as well! Geographic variation IS IMPORTANT.
Posted by: Stuart
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September 7, 2010 11:54 PM
"I don't imagine that a paper titled "Sequencing and analysis of PZ Myers' human genome" will get published in Nature."
How about the Journal of Irreproducible Results?
Posted by: DLC
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September 8, 2010 12:44 AM
Are the Irish an endangered species ?
Posted by: pushtrak
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September 8, 2010 1:57 AM
"Speaking as an actual green blooded Irish person: WTF are "Lucky Charms"?"
You must be young. Used to be on sale here in Ireland, too. Not for sale here for many a year though.
Posted by: MoeLarryAndJesus
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September 8, 2010 2:24 AM
Not since the English left.
Posted by: David N
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September 8, 2010 2:57 AM
... as a non-human geneticist i ...
Does this answer the Fermi question? (Sorry, punctuation police on, too much vodka and not enough sleep.)
Posted by: Moosebite
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September 8, 2010 4:30 AM
So if a bunch of kids bully the irish kid and tell him that his genealogy suggests he's more likely to be a drinker and have had ginger hair, is that racist? Furthermore, if that kid were to turn to alcohol to console himself after the abuse, who's fault would that be?
Posted by: Phil
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September 8, 2010 4:53 AM
Actually, on a more serious note...Ireland has the highest rate of cystic fibrosis in the world - one in 19 is a carrier here. Maybe this paper is a step towards explaining why?
Posted by: Billy
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September 8, 2010 6:15 AM
Our HR department's equal opportunities form lists Irish as an ethnicity http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_26169_en.doc Thank goodness we have such geniuses syphoning off our grant money
Posted by: MultiTool
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September 8, 2010 6:55 AM
The genome of the entire human race is like a vast archeological site that is slowly being trampled by modern high-speed travel.
If we had the power to take a snapshot of everyone's genome in the world, right now, we might someday have a chance of resolving a lot of questions about how we migrated and diversified before history began.
So, I can see some value in sequencing one Irish guy beyond the medical uses, though the 1000 genomes project is closer to what we would need. More like the 1 billion genome project!
Posted by: https://me.yahoo.com/a/DhjBEuJ8pt63x6eBKuPx0Jv9_QE-#7c327
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September 8, 2010 7:35 AM
It is insensitive to make fun of people who are already suffering. There was that potato thingy, and now the Greens and Oranges are blowing up each other's bars.
Do any of you hard-hearted atheists understand the pain of going to your favorite pub for breakfast and seeing it destroyed by explosives?
It's difficult. And consider this:
My friends Pat and Mike were working on street repairs and Pat asked the foreman why the Irish had to do all the shovel work.
The foreman put his hand on a telephone pole and "punch my hand as hard as you can." Pat tried, but the foreman moved his hand and Pat hurt his fist on the pole.
He returned to the work site and explained it to Mike. He put his hand in front of his face and said, "Mike, hit my face with your shovel as hard as you can."
Haven't we suffered enough?
Posted by: Katharine
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September 8, 2010 7:38 AM
Shit. The only good ethnic joke I have is one about Italians.
Posted by: Cosmic Teapot
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September 8, 2010 9:02 AM
To be sure, this is the second time.
http://www.eutimes.net/2010/06/king-tuts-dna-is-western-european/
Posted by: Cosmic Teapot
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September 8, 2010 9:14 AM
An English man, Irish man, a Scots man and a Welsh man are pulled from the water after the Titanic sinks. But the life boat is overloaded and starts to take water. So the officer in charge says some one will have to jump over board or they are all doomed.
The Scot stands up and says, "Ach laddie, I'm cold and wet and probably wi'nae survive the night, so for the glory of Scotland ...", and with that he jumps into the sea.
But the boat is still taking on water, so the officer asks for one more volunteer.
The Welsh man says "Boyo, I too am cold and wet, and will probably not survive the night, so for the glory of Wales ...", and jumps into the sea.
The officer sees that the boat is almost safe, and sighing, says "We still need one person to jump overboard or we are all doomed".
The Irish man gets up and says, "For the glory of Ireland ..." and throws the English man overboard.
Posted by: Katharine
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September 8, 2010 10:58 AM
Meh, I'll tell it anyway.
What sound does a car from Italy make when it gets a flat tire?
Posted by: JackC
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September 8, 2010 12:47 PM
Katharine, what's worse? That you told that joke, or that without ever hearing it before, and without looking, I know the punch line??
JC
Posted by: Steven Mading
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September 8, 2010 4:05 PM
What a breakthrough! At this rate, soon we have definitive scientific criteria for settling the No True Scotsman question once and for all.
Posted by: Moosebite
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September 8, 2010 4:11 PM
Why do Irishmen use two condoms?
To be sure, to be sure.
Posted by: ecurve
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September 8, 2010 5:13 PM
An Irishman walks into a bar on a Saturday night, orders two drinks. The bartender watches, mystified, as the Irishman clinks them together and drinks first one, then the other. The next week, the same. And so on, until it's a ritual, and the bartender gives in to his curiosity.
"Say, mister," he says, "Why do you always come in, order two drinks at once, drink both, and leave?"
"Och," says the Irishman, "Back in Oireland, me brother and I always went drinking together on Saturday nights. When I left me family behind to move here, me brother and I always swore to go to the nearest pub, every Saturday night, and have a drink for each of us--one for me," he says, tapping one glass, "and the other for him. That way, we're drinking together, even when we're apart."
One Saturday, years later, the Irishman enters the pub... and orders one drink. The pub falls silent. The bartender gets choked up, and manages to stammer out, "I'm so sorry... so sorry for your loss."
The Irishman looks puzzled for a moment, then laughs. "Oh, no, me brother's fine! It's just that I've quit drinking."
WRT: the Irish as an endangered species. Not so long as men like these roam the Americas.
Posted by: culturegeek
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September 8, 2010 11:25 PM
The previous attempt got eaten and I don't have the patience to retype all of the remedial physical anthropology that the author needs, or the cultural anthropology to explain why he needs it (Instead, I'll just ask you to skip to about the 30 minute mark on http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/290091-1 ), so I'll just say that I sincerely hope that the paper is a joke.
If the author is not pulling a Sokal, I have 5 suggestions:
1. Watch the Goodman discussion, or read anything on the subject by any contemporary anthropologist. If you need pretty pictures and widgets, you can go to http://www.understandingrace.org/index.html (also useful for anyone teaching an undergraduate human origins or cultural anthro class).
2. If you haven't done so already, read Kuhn's (1970) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
3. Think about what Kuhn says about phlogiston.
4. Think about what the anthropologists keep trying to tell you about human genetic variation. (and red hair in H. sapiens for that matter. Neanderthals indeed! I certainly hope "Bad Earl" was joking.)
5.Realize that seeing what you write about human genetic variation is, to any anthropologist (and there are not a lot of cases in which the term "any anthropologist" is appropriate-- it's a notoriously contentious discipline), like listening to one of those pneumatic chemists talk about fire.
That last one probably won't happen, though.