Does population matter?

I have no idea where genetics is heading now. A Nature paper last week on the “population relevance of 95 loci for blood lipids” at least ends somewhere in the nowhere. Take not only 100 thousand participants but 100 million participants and you will get 95,000 loci – sorry to all my friends on the author list – that’s crap. Another, more interesting development during my recent absence in the Alpes comes by the Royal Society

In 1993 the world’s population was 5.5 billion; it is now 6.8 billion and is due to hit 7 billion by early 2012. A major new study looking at the implications of the changes in global population is being launched by the Royal Society with an expected conclusion in early 2012. […] The Royal Society has decided that it is time for a comprehensive review of the science, looking at the extent to which population will be a significant variable in rates of progress towards sustainable economic and social development over the next thirty years and beyond.The Chair of the Royal Society working group that will undertake the study, Professor John Sulston, said: “As the world’s population approaches seven billion, the Royal Society has chosen to explore the complex and contentious issue of population.“

Yea, yea.