Science, genetics and technology
Population genetics, ancient DNA, health, technology and AI.
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Wild Tamil Nadu: An ode to the Tamil Nadus rich biodiversity
Calvin D’Souza reviews the documentary Wild Tamil Nadu, which follows the Sangam landscape classification from shola grasslands to coastal estuaries. He praises its new footage, including the Madras hedgehog and…
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Parsis, DNA and steppe incursions
Indosaurus announces his long-promised article on Parsi matrilineal DNA and steppe ancestry, published on his Substack, and hopes Zoroastrians and Hindus can reclaim the name Aryan from racists.
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The Philippines Birth Rate Crash
The post reports that the Philippines’ fertility rate fell from 4.1 in 1993 to 1.7 in the 2025 survey, the steepest drop on record, and asks why anyone expected the…
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Open Thread: Mother Indus is on Fire
While the commentariat counts babies, the Indus basin sits at 47 to 50°C. Radcliffe drew a paper line. The thermometer does not pause at Wagah.
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Why Caste Formed In India and how the heck it could have been maintained! – A Structural Model
Dr Rajorshi Datta argues that strict caste endogamy in India came from structural predisposition rather than luck, using a model of subcontinents as ‘containers’ and upstream geographic and ecological variables.…
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The Shijrah and the Y-Chromosome
A sequel arguing that BB and Qureshi reach the same wrong conclusion on Sayyid ancestry by different routes. The post contends that Y-chromosome evidence retains paternal descent that autosomal arithmetic…
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Arab Fathers are not fabrications (entirely)
Answering BB’s claim that Pakistanis invent foreign fathers, the author argues South Asian Muslims are not one block: Pashtuns, Baloch, Hazaras and Sayyids carry foreign ancestry the genetic record supports,…
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Parsi Nanis Are Gujarati
X.T.M reads genetic studies of the Parsis, with Iranian paternal lines and roughly half South Asian maternal lines, to argue that Parsi Gujarati comes from founding Gujarati mothers. A Facebook…
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Pakistan’s dramatic drop in fertility
X.T.M argues that Pakistan’s fertility fall from 3.61 to 3.19 children per woman reflects urbanisation, education, female work and social media rather than ideology or theology. He says religious societies…
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Borderline Bloodpressure
X.T.M describes borderline high blood pressure and a raised resting heart rate at 41, a nosebleed and his usual January check-up in India. He argues that health must become a…
