Dangerous DNA: The truth about the ‘warrior gene’
How one gene doth not maketh the man or woman and the dangers of thinking that it does.
Ed Yong outlines in this New Scientist article how unravelling the interaction between genes, the environment and how it influences human behaviour is one of science’s toughest jobs.
Ed provides four key messages for anyone trying to get a handle on the interaction between genes and behaviour and the dangers in trying to provide deterministic predictions, eg “on my oath your honour, my genes made me do it…”.
Teachers, students take note
It will make a valuable read for secondary teachers and students about to explore this topic, especially if it involves delving into the possible future applications of this knowledge such as designer babies and genetic testing.