The communication by Singh et al. on single nucleotide polymorphisms among the Jarawas of the Andaman Islands appears to be a purely academic endeavour. The evident outcome of the study is the discovery of polymorphism in two genes. The authors have not elaborated on the significance of the discovery for the Jarawa populations investigated. It is also difficult to comprehend how any population genetics-based epidemiological study could be undertaken without information on the parent-offspring relationships in the samples.
Discovery and validation of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human genome is an active area of interest, because of their usefulness in evolutionary and disease-association studies. The researchers have resequenced 70 chromosomes from the Jarawa, a Negrito tribal group inhabiting the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago for a = 10 kb genomic region spanning two genes.
It is apprehended that any association with Phuket, which is said to be a sex tourism hotspot, would dent Port Blair s image and affect it adversely. Residents and civil society groups of the Andamans are also upset because the UT administration did not t
