The following is an excerpt.
Wildly divergent headlines about a study of Alzheimer’s disease vividly illustrate the depth and breadth of the confusion that plagues our thinking about racial categories in genetic research. The New York Times billed the study (published in The Journal of the American Medical Association) this way:
Blacks Have Same Gene Changes as Whites, Alzheimer’s Study Finds
The article by Gina Kolata appears to be an accurate account of the researchers’ key finding, which is that “there is no major genetic difference that could account for the slight excess risk” of Alzheimer’s among people who identify themselves as African American.
But should this be a headline-worthy surprise?
View the original article here: Confusion Reigns on Genes, Race, and Alzheimer’s
