Round-up: Sex differences in intelligence

The most interesting articles that came to our attention this week

The Equality Paradox. Shuichi Tezuka introduces the “equality paradox”: anyone committed to treating others equally regardless of race must reject racial equality of outcomes (since races have different average abilities). The assumption that equal treatment must mean equal outcomes has led to discrimination against whites and Asians, as well as death sentences for non-white defendants who would ordinarily be ineligible due to low IQ.

Cultural norms of exogamy and mobility shape hunter-gatherer genetic evolution. Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias and colleagues explore how hunter-gatherer groups maintain genetic diversity in the face of ecological pressures that limit population size. Analysing data on two Central African groups, they observe two distinct “strategies”. In one group strict exogamy prevails, while in the other, social norms prescribe that men travel far to find a mate (regardless of group membership).