What's with the Japanese - wet or dry ear wax??

Another interesting bit of trivia I discovered when I visited RIKEN. There is a genetic polymorphism affecting the ABC (ATP-Binding Cassette) transporter ABC11, that determines if your ear wax comes out dry or wet. This was discovered by Yoshiura et al in 2006. See also report in the New York Times. Apparently the Japanese and Koreans (and Northern Chinese) exclusively have the 'dry ear wax' variant while African and West Europeans have the "wet ear wax" phenotype. The rest of the world have mixed proportions of dry and wet waxes. In Southern China and South East Asia, the frequency of wet wax increases. It is thought that the dry wax allele originated in Northern Asia, thus giving rise to an exclusive distribution of the allele in North China, Korea and Japan.

Wet is black, dry is white

The Japanese use the dry wax phenotype to distinguish the Yamato Japanese from the other Japanese arising from Hokkaido (Ainus) and Ryukyu (Okinawans).

Why not take the ear wax poll?