Today's nytimes.com has an interesting article called "The Genetic Map of Europe." Of particular interest to me is the genetic distance between Finland and the rest of Europe. My ancestors on both parents' sides are Finnish.
The article says: "The map... identifies the existence of two genetic barriers within Europe. One is between the Finns (light blue, upper right) and other Europeans. It arose because the Finnish population was at one time very small and then expanded, bearing the atypical genetics of its few founders.
The other is between Italians (yellow, bottom center) and the rest. This may reflect the role of the Alps in impeding free flow of people between Italy and the rest of Europe."
See blue Finand on the left-hand "genetic map?" As a Finn, words come to me now like... isolation, alone-ness, a liitle bit of Derrida-ean "differAnce," "ek-sistence," the need for "sisu"...
