Topic: Genes and Behavior

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Year: - Current postings - 1998/1999 - 1997 - 1996 - 1995

Name: Paul Grobstein
Username: pgrobste@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Evolving
Date: Fri Oct 29 11:50:09 EDT 1999
Comments:

To all visitors:

Serendip was born in 1994, and developed forums in 1996. The forums have been and continue to be a place where everyone is invited to make comments, ask questions, and carry on conversations about anything and everything that comes to mind when exploring Serendip. As such, they have been and continue to be an essential part of Serendip's development. At the same time, any developing organism needs periodically to refresh itself. The past remains but is put in boxes to clear the mind for the next part of the future. So have we done, as of today, with Serendip's forums. All past material is still available, by clicking on highlighted years above to access forum archives. And we have, as of today, a blank slate for the next phase of Serendip's development. If you have been here in the past, you're already a part of what Serendip has become so far. Please leave your thoughts as part of the next phase of Serendip's life. And if you're new, please join in as well.

Name: joel
Username: joeljenny@altavista.com
Subject: genes and behavior
Date: Mon Apr 3 22:19:07 EDT 2000
Comments:
Please read comments in "About...Serendip" about wild baby mice raised with domestic baby mice. Thanks. Convinced me about genes influence.

Name: Priscilla Galeai
Username: p_galeai@ .
Subject: genes and behavior
Date: Mon Apr 24 03:00:53 EDT 2000
Comments:
This is so true about genes and behavior....its affects is due to the nature(genome) and nurture(the envionment). I strongly believe that kids behave the way they do and think the way they think do to these two things nature and nurture......An example is myself because of my culture I view things differently from that of my classmates here at the University of Hawaii in Hilo....one good example is when i went for a voluntary thing at Waiakea High...The students were so mean to the teacher talked back to the teacher and was rude to the teacher....from where i am from the students never act that way to the teacher because when you do that it is not the culture and you will get disciplined.

Name: melissa
Username:
Subject: genes and behavior
Date: Mon May 8 18:53:18 EDT 2000
Comments:
How can it be argued that our behavior is not due to our genetic makeup? Afterall, we consist solely of cells wich contain DNA. Our genetic code influences every behavior we exhibit and those behaviors are "shaped" by our environmental influences. Our reactions to these environmental influences depend on our genetic code !

Name: Jason Palmer
Username: jason@palmer1971.freeserve.co.uk
Subject:
Date: Wed May 24 16:14:47 EDT 2000
Comments:
I think genes and personal experience work together, as well have different genes and different experiences your bound to get variance. This explains why kids who go to the same school do differently ? Lets remember 2 things. 1. life is not school 2. people change, and change at different levels. My experience is that clever workaholics do well in most situations but some are going to die out because they never go out getting drunk and chatting up mates !

Name: Jason Zap
Username: jzaperach@dbtamerica.com
Subject: Genes and Behavior
Date: Sun May 28 13:43:49 EDT 2000
Comments:
As a student, currently studying sociology, I found the letter from Mr. Grobstein to be most enlightening. I am currently posed with the question of "Nature or Nurture" by my professor. We are to take a position on either side of the fence (sitting on the fence is discouraged). I thought I was sitting on the fence until I read the letter by Mr. Grobstein. However, my legs were dangling on the biology side of the fence (being of the scientic perspective). I have found that a new fence has been constructed. A fence of the "self". The "self" fence being a product of the "Nature/Nurture" fence. I am not declaring that I fully understand all the phenomenon about behavioral science, or even know of all the aspects; however, I have just discovered a new one today. If I understand this correctly, let me state it as thus: If "A" times "B" equals "C" (where "A" is nature and "B" is nurture) then "C" must then equal self. Now you have a third factor "C" - self, which is then able to interact with "A" and "B". So my question is what is the product of "C" times "B" or even "A" times "C"? Can the product,"C", interact and influence the factors? The dynamics seems infinite.

Name: Jason Palmer
Username: jason@palmer1971.freeserve.co.uk
Subject: nature versus nurture
Date: Mon Jun 5 15:55:34 EDT 2000
Comments:
The only scientific way to check nature vs nurture would be to look at identical twins raised apart, preferably in different cultures, then see what the differences are. We had an interesting program showing such twins on our BBC recently, there are unfortunately only a few cases but it was funny that when the twins met they were wearing the same clothes and had much in common. Perhaps the problem with all this is that it focuses on intelligence, i think it would be better if we chose to study 'adaptability' as that would be more correct as a measure of 'darwinian' success trait. The researcher ( american i think ) who has studied identical twins indicates that there are usually more traits in common than not. Can't remember his name, anyone any ideas ?

Name: jason palmer
Username: jason@palmer1971.freeserve.co.uk
Subject: idential twins = same genes
Date: Mon Jun 5 16:16:53 EDT 2000
Comments:
check it out http://tlc.discovery.com/tlcpages/twins/s_separated.html its cool regards jason

Name: anonymous
Username:
Subject: Genome Project
Date: Mon Jul 10 06:08:29 EDT 2000
Comments:

Name: Navid Helmi
Username: seyedmehrdad@greenmem.net
Subject: biological clock
Date: Mon Jul 10 06:18:49 EDT 2000
Comments:
An exciting prospect for the future involves the recovery of an entire system of clock regulated gens in organisms such as fruit flies and mice. It is likely that perviously uncharacterized gene products with intriguing effects on behavior will be discovered within these networks.

Name: anonymous
Username:
Subject: GENE
Date: Mon Jul 10 13:37:46 EDT 2000
Comments:

Name: Dottie
Username: dottie@satx.rr.com
Subject: Wonderful!
Date: Wed Sep 6 00:07:11 EDT 2000
Comments:
I love this explanation between nature vs nurture vs self. It's exactly how I've been feeling about the subject but was unable to say it so perfectly.

Name: monique
Username: musinggrai@aol.com
Subject: genes and behavior
Date: Sun Sep 17 14:35:59 EDT 2000
Comments:
One thing to throw into the pot here... I'm adopted and met my biological mother recently. The most striking similarity I noticed, was our sense of humor. The things that we found amusing were the same, which is not the case with my mom, whom I love dearly; we just find different things funny. Beyond a similar sense of humor with my birth mother, our laughter is like echoes, twins with a uniquely distinct laugh. I post it here because it surprised me that humor could be genetically influenced. It is a thing I would assume would develop due to environment.

Name: Hughie
Username: hmusic@ozemail.com.au
Subject: Perspective
Date: Tue Sep 26 22:35:12 EDT 2000
Comments:
At the risk of disagreeing with the above, I wish to point out that, genetically, all human beings are about 98% (correct me with the exact figure please) the same. If we are relying on a test of similarities between displaced sets of identical twins, why are there not more similarlities between disparate characteristics? It occurs to me that if a researcher is looking for similarities, that is what they'll find. On the other hand, if they wish to quantify the degree of similarity and difference, that is a more difficult question, but no less relevant. There are external environmental conditions that limit the number of behaviour deviations that will endure, and culture can only affect these in limited ways. For example, it would be great to be able to test whether separated identical twins can have different sexual orientations or practices in the same and different parts of the world. If we look hard enough for long enough I'm sure we'll find evidence of it all. Only rigorous analysis will sort out the causes from the effects. I find the entire question of the biological determinants of behaviour fascinating and don't disagree with the view of this site's owners but let's not get too carried away with isolated specifics.

Name: Anthea
Username: pmdd@mail.com
Subject: I'm no rocket scientist ...
Date: Mon May 12 13:14:29 EDT 2003
Comments:
... but I really enjoyed, and appreciate, this very succinct explanation about so-called 'learning disabilities.' In my own opinion, I don't think such a thing exists (aside from children with obvious retardation, congenital abnormalities and such). I am my own best proof of this. Never was I a grade-A student, but often, when I applied myself I could score high A's on the odd test and make my teachers fall flat on their backs in surprise -- very rarely was I "interested" enough in achieving these results however. My interests lay elsewhere -- in being creative rather than an intellectual. Now as a 32 year old adult I find that my problem solving skills are not too shabby at all, I have no problem understanding what would otherwise be considered 'difficult' reading material, etc. In fact I am quite satisfied with my life. I find my 6 year old following in my footsteps, despite my efforts to turn him into a scholarly book learner. Thank you for this insightful article ... it gives me hope for the future of our young ones. :)

Name: Pee Girl
Username: Pee Girl
Subject: thanks for your site !
Date: Sat Jun 21 09:40:55 EDT 2003
Comments:
thanks for your site !

Name: Lolita
Username: Lolita
Subject: Greetings from Paris,how are you?
Date: Mon Jun 23 22:06:29 EDT 2003
Comments:
Greetings from Paris,how are you?

Name: Female Sperm
Username: Female Sperm
Subject: can you suggest book about this?
Date: Wed Jul 9 01:21:55 EDT 2003
Comments:
can you suggest book about this?

Name: vbond
Username: nonny4ash@yahoo.com
Subject: nuture verses nature
Date: Sat Jun 11 11:40:42 EDT 2005
Comments:
I lean towards nature having the most effect on "who we are". I was adopted at 6 months old and from as far back as I can remember, I knew I was not like my (adopted) mother. When I found out I was adopted, it made sense. I loved my (adopted) mother, but I did not like her personality and I did not want to be like her. I have charateristics about my personality and ways of looking at the world and others that is in no way similar to my adopted mother or family. I have always been compassionate, sensitive, emphathetic towards others and hated hearing my mother criticized others or make fun of and laugh at others. And I remember feeling this way as far back as when I was 4 and did not know I was adopted. My mother spent my childhood asking me why I could not be more like her. She was outgoing and always "the life of the party". I have always been quiet and reserved. The list goes on. I am now 50 and she is 84 and our differences are still a source of conflict. Now my daughter and I are almost identical. Our sense of humor is the same, we view the world and relate to people the same and this list also goes on. Now I have a granddaughter who is now 4. My daughter and I are amazed at how much like me she is. Her food preferences, her attitudes, her body mannerisms, her looks, and much more are like me. My adopted mother has finally agreed through observing her great granddaughter that nature has more effect that nuture.

Name: Matt
Username: early_riser4@hotmail.com
Subject: which factor effects personality more?
Date: Fri Oct 14 09:01:01 EDT 2005
Comments:
In terms of nature verses nurture, which one effects an individuals personality more. Many would say it is how one is brought up that shapes a persons personality, but is that true? Doesn't nature effect our personalities just as much as nurture? I think so. Please Inquire.

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