From: julie@pascal.org

On Wednesday, May 7, 2014 8:03:14 AM UTC-6, Gerry Quinn wrote:
> In article <782e1458-f73f-4b9b-99b6-825d2330be01@googlegroups.com>, 
> 
> mdhangton@gmail.com says...
> 
> 
> 
> > I do not believe that Nobel Prize mojo is an inheritable trait, 
> 
> > and I would not equate it in any direct way to supreme intelligence.
> 
> 
> 
> But it would be a likely indication of high intelligence, right?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > > Putting it in terms of Nobels is a bit of a publicity trick and sharply 
> 
> > > reduces the number of suitable donors, but what's wrong with the 
> 
> > > underlying idea?
> 
> > > 
> 
> > As I have been led to understand Robert Shockley's eugenics idea, he 
> 
> > believed that intelligence was concentrated in the masculine principle 
> 
> > of Caucasians.
> 
> 
> 
> It's unlikely that most heritable genes for intelligence are mostly on the
> 
>  Y-chromosome, I would say - and if human sexual dimorphism happens to 
> 
> be such that men are more intelligent on average, it is probably a side 
> 
> effect of genetic switches that exist on all working Y-chromosomes.
> 
> 
> 
> As for racial differences in average intelligence, the debate 
> 
> continues...
>  
> 
> A Nobel Sperm Bank is at least a gentler approach than that of Genghis Khan.
> 
Or Margaret Sanger.


It's an interesting question for colonization, though. If your plan involves
bringing "genetic diversity" in the form of fertilized eggs, eggs and sperm,
or just sperm... would you bring Nobel Prize winners?

I don't think that I would. Oh, I wouldn't exclude them, but I wouldn't go out
of my way to bring them, either.

As far as I've heard, we still don't know for sure if smart people marrying
smart people is what causes autism spectrum, but even if it doesn't the
smartest people I know are often somewhat unbalanced, socially inept, or
myopic. I say that without 
judgement.  However, if I was in charge of the genetic banks I'd probably want
to focus on slightly above average instead of the highest reaches of the bell
curve. Screen for known inherited disease carriers (accepting that I might
inadvertently screen *
out* a genetic issue that could have saved the whole colony) and focus on
maximum genetic scope and redheads... because... gingers.  

If my colony was going to be space based or living in habitats (which is most
likely) I might favor small people. I'm told that the hispanic population in
New Mexico has a "short gene" and since I'm constantly surprised (even after
10 years) by how many 
men are barely over 5 feet and how many women are shorter than I am, it's
probably true.  A smaller body needs less food and less oxygen and less over
all space.  That might be important enough to set as a priority.

-Julie

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