The Smithsonian is pushing eugenics and debunked race science, but they aren’t getting the social media attention that the Sydney Sweeney AE jeans ad did. Same root message, though.
DNA cannot discern between dog breeds like thie Smithsonian and western scientists claim unless the breed has a common set of specific markers, usually resulting from multi-generational inbreeding or recurring “defects.” Think Cajuns, Ashkenazi Jewish people, inheritable diseases like hemophilia, or “deformities” like the Hapsburg Jaw.
So let’s break this down a bit:
“The research team analyzed full mitochondrial genomes from 62 ancient dogs whose DNA has been recovered from archaeological sites, along with eight modern dogs, all across Central and South America. They looked at some mitochondrial haplotypes, the specific sequences at certain locations in the mitochondrial genome that are inherited from the mother. Dogs with one ancient haplotype, known as A2b, crossed into North America with people thousands of years ago. Dogs with that haplotype were pre-contact dogs that existed in the Americas before European settlers arrived. All the ancient dog samples from Central and South America analyzed in the study had that haplotype.”
Haplotypes are not magic. There are so many variables involving the sample population, marker loci, ancient genetic sample variations/ages/etc.
All DNA testing can tell you is the similarity between specific genomic sections unless a being’s entire genome is sequenced, then tested. This is rarely done because scientists claim they only need to find a couple markers (anywhere from a couple dozen to ten thousand+ depending on the researchers) that tested samples share in common to demonstrate ancestral relation.
And that relies on the assumption that specific populations are genetically different than others which has been disproven since the 1970s.
All domestic dogs descend from three populations according to current research: gray wolves, red wolves, & jackals. This means all modern domestic dogs have the potential to share most of the genetic markers from one, two, or all three ancestral populations.
Haplotypes only tell you whether the markers are present and cannot determine geographical location, only that ancestors of the test subject share at least one common ancestor with those markers that survived the process of multi-generational inheritance.
Phenotypic characteristics are not determined by genetic “purity,” chromosomal loci, or breed/race/ethnicity. That’s race science talking. Scientists phrase their observations as fact which is opposite how they typically approach research publication with legal qualifiers like “appears to” or “could be.” With genetics (read: eugenics), they feel confident using absolutes or post hocs like how scientists/medical professionals claim “obesity causes” every malady in existence or that Black and Native people are genetically prone to certain medical conditions.
There is no actual science behind these claims; most data is cherry picked or the research is designed to produce a desired outcome. Race scientists have done this since the 1700s when Austrians “proved” phrenology because “trust me, I have like… a ton of skulls at home.”
So why do people keep publishing and pushing this pseudoscientific misinformation? White supremacy.
Stop buying DNA kits. Stop uploading your genetic data into mostly-Israeli or Mormon-owned databases because your information is being sold to police and corporations. You uploading DNA means your family no longer has a choice in their data being available–it only takes one person.
Source: “How One Chihuahua Proved to be a Link to Ancient Dogs” from The Smithsonian, 7 August 2025.
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Originally published on Substack: 7 August 2025