Judaism and DNA Studies

New Scientist reports a fascinating article describing how religion made Jews genetically distinct. Comparing the DNA of 237 Jews from around the world with that of 416 non-Jews, the researchers found that about 2500 years ago the Jewish population split into two groups. This story is consistent with the story of Jewish exile under king Nebuchadnezzar. There is hope that such research may be useful in dealing with Tay-Sachs and other diseases that are more prevalent among Jews.