Kenneth Kidd

Kenneth Kay Kidd is an American human geneticist and emeritus professor of genetics at Yale University School of Medicine. He is known for his work on the role of genetics in disorders such as manic depression and schizophrenia,[1][2] on human genetic variation and its relationship to geography,[3] and the Out of Africa theory of human evolution.[4] He also helped discover the DRD4-7R gene that has been linked to exploratory behaviour.[5]

Kenneth Kidd
Born
Kenneth Kay Kidd
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin
Known forPopulation genetics
Evolutionary genetics
AwardsBiomedical paper of the Year award from the Lancet (2002)
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Scientific career
FieldsGenetics
InstitutionsYale University School of Medicine
ThesisPhylogenetic analysis of cattle breeds (1969)
Doctoral advisorWilliam H. Stone
Notable studentsSarah Tishkoff

Kidd also did work on the forensic identification of individuals by single nucleotide polymorphisms[6] and was a key figure in the 1990s Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP),[7] which indigenous populations rejected due to fear of exploitation of their genetic material, including for purposes other than medical research ("In the long history of destruction which has accompanied western colonization we have come to realize that the agenda of the non-indigenous forces has been to appropriate and manipulate the natural order for the purposes of profit, power and control.").[8]

Uyghur genetic material controversy

In 2019, The New York Times alleged that Kidd's collected genetic material from Uyghurs was being used by "scientist's affiliated with China's police" in order to create a genetic database of Uyghurs in China.[9] The piece alleged that Kidd had visited China regularly since 1981, and met with at least one figure within the Ministry of Public Security (China). When contacted by The New York Times, Kidd said to have no knowledge of any potential uses of genetic material for these purposes. He has since asked the Chinese to remove genetic material provided from his work but received no response.[10]

References
  1. Jr, Harold M. Schmeck (1989-11-07). "Scientists Now Doubt They Found Faulty Gene Linked to Mental Illness". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  2. Hilts, Philip J. (1988-12-16). "Evidence Links Schizophrenia, Flawed Gene". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  3. Rosenberg, Noah A.; Pritchard, Jonathan K.; Weber, James L.; Cann, Howard M.; Kidd, Kenneth K.; Zhivotovsky, Lev A.; Feldman, Marcus W. (2002-12-20). "Genetic structure of human populations". Science. 298: 2381–2385. doi:10.1126/science.1078311. PMID 12493913. Lay summary – The New York Times (20 December 2002).
  4. Freeman, Karen (1996-06-04). "More Recent Migration of Humans From Africa Is Seen in DNA Study". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  5. Dobbs, David (January 2013). "Restless Genes". National Geographic. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  6. "Developing a SNP panel for forensic identification of individuals | Kenneth K Kidd | Request PDF". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  7. Weiss, Ken (2019-03-25). "The Mermaid's Tale: Human Genome Diversity: important to recognize, but not a new issue". The Mermaid's Tale. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  8. "Human Genome Diversity Project". www.indians.org. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  9. Wee, Sui-Lee (2019-02-21). "China Uses DNA to Track Its People, With the Help of American Expertise". New York Times.
  10. Stuck in China's Panopticon (podcast). 22m30s: NPR Planet Money. 2019-07-05. Event occurs at 22m30s.CS1 maint: location (link)


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