Virtually all popular discussions about genetic differences between races occur around the assumption that the term “genetic” refers to the genome at the level of DNA sequences. This is a vast oversimplification of the state of the science on trait heritability. The core concept is that phenotype doesn’t map directly onto underlying ge…
Virtually all popular discussions about genetic differences between races occur around the assumption that the term “genetic” refers to the genome at the level of DNA sequences. This is a vast oversimplification of the state of the science on trait heritability. The core concept is that phenotype doesn’t map directly onto underlying genotype. To quote Sonia Sultan*:
“Phenotypes emerge from the dynamic interplay of different types of regulatory elements and not simply from the presence or absence of particular DNA sequences. Indeed, the very notion of genes as discrete pieces of developmental information has become open to question.” “A number of developmental factors can be transmitted across generations.”
The take home message is what we already know--- we shouldn’t prejudge any individual based on their ancestral or cultural heritage.
*Organism and Environment: Ecological Development, Niche Construction, and Adaptation, by Sonia E. Sultan, Department of Biology and Program in Environmental Studies Wesleyan University.
> "we shouldn’t prejudge any individual based on their ancestral or cultural heritage."
Exactly. I know of no widely read author who does not agree with us on this point.
And you are right - the era of finding single genes which control some behavior or attribute was brief and not very fruitful. Today, whole genome influences are recognized as more important and more fruitful (albeit more laborius to illuminate).
Virtually all popular discussions about genetic differences between races occur around the assumption that the term “genetic” refers to the genome at the level of DNA sequences. This is a vast oversimplification of the state of the science on trait heritability. The core concept is that phenotype doesn’t map directly onto underlying genotype. To quote Sonia Sultan*:
“Phenotypes emerge from the dynamic interplay of different types of regulatory elements and not simply from the presence or absence of particular DNA sequences. Indeed, the very notion of genes as discrete pieces of developmental information has become open to question.” “A number of developmental factors can be transmitted across generations.”
The take home message is what we already know--- we shouldn’t prejudge any individual based on their ancestral or cultural heritage.
*Organism and Environment: Ecological Development, Niche Construction, and Adaptation, by Sonia E. Sultan, Department of Biology and Program in Environmental Studies Wesleyan University.
> "we shouldn’t prejudge any individual based on their ancestral or cultural heritage."
Exactly. I know of no widely read author who does not agree with us on this point.
And you are right - the era of finding single genes which control some behavior or attribute was brief and not very fruitful. Today, whole genome influences are recognized as more important and more fruitful (albeit more laborius to illuminate).