four primary sources: 71 percent from the Niger-Kordofanian people (language group) of West Africa; 13 to 15 percent from European ancestors; 8 percent from various other African people ranging from Angola to Senegal; and the remainder from various other peoples - African and non-African.

The only people with a higher level of mixed ancestry than American Blacks were the so-called Cape-colored of South Africa who are a blend of African, European, East Asian and South Indian ancestry. For American Blacks there is also a strong West Indian connection.

According to one of the researchers, during the slave trade, only 20 percent of Blacks were transported directly from Africa to America. The other 80 percent were sent to the West Indies to be what was called seasoned - brutalized into submission. However, among the Blacks transported directly to America, a few, such as the residents of the Sea Islands off Georgia and South Carolina, can trace their origins to specific regions of Africa such as Sierra Leone and Guinea. Other than these groups, it is extremely difficult to trace the ancestry of most African Americans to a specific people or tribe because the genetic mixture was so great.

Third, the ultimate goal of the study, as Tishkoff put it, was to set the stage for future genetic studies, including studies of genetic and environmental risk factors for disease and drug response. But thus far, says Tishkoff, the researchers have found that Africans have the most diverse DNA and the fewest potentially harmful genetic mutations.

By extrapolation, the above statement applies to American Blacks. In other words, they are genetically well evolved and adapted to survive on this planet. Thus, ailments and diseases are more likely to flow from social and environmental conditions along with the harm Blacks do to themselves rather than from any genetic weakness or abnormality. This is an extremely important point, especially when African Americans are constantly bombarded with articles about Blacks being two or three times more likely than whites to have some ailment or disease.

The truth is Black is original, diverse and well-evolved for success on planet Earth. The problem is most people think and behave in manner opposite of the truth.

Learn more about this author, Robert Taylor.
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