Migration – A Genetic Benefit

Delving into genetic ancestry, it is thought that all Europeans are descendants of Charlemagne, an eighth-century king who had numerous children, mostly illegitimate offspring from his concubines.

It seems we’re not so dissimilar after all – we all carry sequences of DNA that match each other even though we may be from opposing ends of the continent.

This genetic map endures because genes are passed on to subsequent generations. The same substantive genes are present when reproduction occurs, though they may gradually be diluted with each passing generation.

Despite this genetic commonality, inbreeding is recognised as wrong and dangerous. It leads to congenital deformities and genetic defects.

But, for countless years, that is what we have been doing.

The more you and your ancestors have stayed in the one locality, the more likely you are to have been reproducing with somebody who already carries aspects of your genes. It is still inbreeding, albeit slightly more distantly related. It inherently carries risks for the genetic makeup of any offspring.

In contrast, the wider you can take from the genetic pool, the more possibilities you have for genetic enhancement. The more you mix the genetic pot, the more outcomes you can generate. It’s like adding a new ingredient to a recipe – get it right, and it can be enhancing, even transforming.

That is why global population movements should be encouraged. In the short term, this is achieved through overseas holidays or working abroad. And in the longer term, it is through migration. These movements greatly expand genetic opportunities.

Migration is the principal driver of mass change, expanding the genetic pool. It substantially and structurally increases our genetic possibilities.

And yet, too often, too widely, we fail to recognise this. Migrants are not always greeted with open arms.

We more readily see migratory populations as burdens and nuisances. Incomers take our jobs and threaten our livelihoods; they bring with them cultures and behaviours which are alien and uncomfortable to us; they are a drain on the resources which we have built up for ourselves.

It may be that when it comes to our genes, we are instinctively risk-averse, preferring familiarity to the uncertainty of the unknown. But it is also true that we generally do not recognise migrant populations as the bearers of genetic gifts. After all, genetic enhancement is a slow and long-term process.

However, non-native populations are a vital human resource we need to leverage.

The key determinant of a species’ survival is its adaptation to its prevailing environment. If that environment changes, then that species must adapt accordingly. Humanity’s environment is changing very quickly, not just our natural environment but also the society that we live in – society has, in many regards, become our Living Environment as we have, for the most part, conquered the threats of Nature.

As our environment changes, we will adopt those adaptations that enable us to survive and prosper. The trouble is that society is changing at a breakneck pace, particularly in technology. The faster the environment changes, the less likely we are to make the necessary adaptations in the time available.

We could therefore be threatened with an incongruity between ourselves and our environment.

That is why we need to call on the full range of human resources available to us.

It is a process that we can be slow to embrace.

Migration leading to racial interbreeding doesn’t happen automatically. In fact, first-generation migrants tend to stay together and reproduce within their migrant community. It tends to be the second and subsequent generations of migrants who assimilate into an established population, forming mixed relationships and reproductions.

In reality, we should be positively encouraging migratory movements, racial mixing and reproductive diversity for the genetic benefits they will offer in terms of ensuring our survival in the face of massive environmental change.

In the future, our efforts to improve our genetic resource base will go even further. Inevitably, one day, to drive positive, progressive adaptive change, humanity will seek to tap into the wider genetic resources available – plant and animal. We will introduce their genes into our genetic mix to seek to acquire certain advantageous qualities. This will be the next developmental mechanism we will have to adopt in our ongoing battle with environmental change.

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