Comments on: Genes for Learning Languages http://www.eyeondna.com/2007/05/30/genes-for-learning-languages/ How will it change your life? Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:08:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Hsien http://www.eyeondna.com/2007/05/30/genes-for-learning-languages/#comment-477 Hsien Thu, 31 May 2007 07:32:03 +0000 http://www.eyeondna.com/2007/05/30/genes-for-learning-languages/#comment-477 lol Definitely chopsticks. I don't know much about Hannibal Lecter and would have thought he just sucked that stuff up through his teeth?! lol Definitely chopsticks. I don’t know much about Hannibal Lecter and would have thought he just sucked that stuff up through his teeth?!

]]> By: laura http://www.eyeondna.com/2007/05/30/genes-for-learning-languages/#comment-474 laura Wed, 30 May 2007 13:42:11 +0000 http://www.eyeondna.com/2007/05/30/genes-for-learning-languages/#comment-474 shouldn't there be a side of fava beans,and a glass of chianti with that? those are chopsticks sitting next to his chinese takeout carton of brain. right? shouldn’t there be a side of fava beans,and a glass of chianti with that?

those are chopsticks sitting next to his chinese
takeout carton of brain.

right?

]]> By: Hsien http://www.eyeondna.com/2007/05/30/genes-for-learning-languages/#comment-471 Hsien Wed, 30 May 2007 09:28:13 +0000 http://www.eyeondna.com/2007/05/30/genes-for-learning-languages/#comment-471 For anyone who's interested, an old post from Genetics and Health about using genes as an excuse. ~~~~~ “It’s genetic.” Chances are, you’ve used this as an excuse sometime or other to explain why you’ve chosen to do something a certain way. Shopaholic? It’s in my genes. Jerk? It’s in his genes. Slacker? It’s genetic. Soccer fanatic? Born with the gene. Couch potato? My dad gave me the genes. On the one hand, it shows that genetics is very much on people’s minds nowadays. On the other hand, it is a fundamental misunderstanding of genetics and inheritance. Just because a trait is influenced by genes doesn’t mean you have no control over it. Genes do not act alone. Gene activity is moulded by behavior and vice versa. You have a choice to alter how you and your body cope with your genes. Of course there are limitations imposed by your genes. Some of us will never be taller than 5 feet and others (like Jennifer Lopez) will always be pear-shaped no matter how fit we are. At some point, though, genetic technology will make it possible to fiddle around with our genes. When that happens, will we still have the excuse that we can’t help ourselves because of our genes? For anyone who’s interested, an old post from Genetics and Health about using genes as an excuse.

~~~~~
“It’s genetic.”

Chances are, you’ve used this as an excuse sometime or other to explain why you’ve chosen to do something a certain way. Shopaholic? It’s in my genes. Jerk? It’s in his genes. Slacker? It’s genetic. Soccer fanatic? Born with the gene. Couch potato? My dad gave me the genes.

On the one hand, it shows that genetics is very much on people’s minds nowadays. On the other hand, it is a fundamental misunderstanding of genetics and inheritance. Just because a trait is influenced by genes doesn’t mean you have no control over it. Genes do not act alone. Gene activity is moulded by behavior and vice versa. You have a choice to alter how you and your body cope with your genes.

Of course there are limitations imposed by your genes. Some of us will never be taller than 5 feet and others (like Jennifer Lopez) will always be pear-shaped no matter how fit we are. At some point, though, genetic technology will make it possible to fiddle around with our genes. When that happens, will we still have the excuse that we can’t help ourselves because of our genes?

]]>