In his newest book, Abraham’s Children (Warner Books, 2007), AEI adjunct fellow Jon Entine tackles the thorny issue of DNA and identity. Driven by the deaths of numerous family members from breast cancer mutations linked to his Jewish ancestry, and found to be a carrier himself, Entine unravels an epic tale of the history of the Israelites and their impact on Western culture. He challenges the conventional wisdom that genetic differences between populations are superficial, which some scientists advanced when the draft of human genome was first unveiled in 2000. Entine points to more recent and sophisticated research that underscores the diverse genetic breadth of humanity but acknowledges that humans have evolved in distinct, if overlapping, groups in different parts of the world over thousands of years. Jews, isolated by culture and religion, are a favorite subject of scientists and genealogical sleuths. The implications of this fresh perspective is dramatically changing the way we think about disease, behavior, intelligence, and education, just to name a few areas of interest.
AEI’s Charles Murray and Laurie Zoloth of Northwestern University will join Entine in discussing the critical role of DNA in transforming our understanding of human potential, and its vast implications for medicine, education, science, and law. AEI’s Sally Satel, M.D., will moderate.
