“When the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003 it was confirmed that the ‘three billion base pairs of genetic letters in humans [are] 99.9 per cent identical in every person.’ There are, of course, genetic differences that occur more frequently in certain populations – lactose intolerance, for example, is more common in people from East Asia. And valuable research has explored the health significance of genetic variation. But there is simply no reason to think that your genes tell you something significant about your emotional connection to a particular cultural heritage. There isn’t a lederhosen gene. More important, we shouldn’t forget that the concept of ‘race’ is a biological fiction. The crude racial categories that we use today – black, white, Asian, etc. – were first formulated in 1735 by the Swedish scientist and master classifier Carl Linnaeus. While his racial categories have remained remarkably resilient to scientific debunking, there is almost universal agreement within the science community that they are largely biologically meaningless… Your genes are only part of the infinitely complex puzzle that makes ‘you uniquely you.’ If you feel a special connection to lederhosen, rock the lederhosen. No genes required.”
— from Timothy Caulfield in The Globe and Mail on May 2, 2018.
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