Sunday, 28 August 2011

Watch out for scientific revolutions! Gene Expression

Above may be the Ngram result for paradigm change, a ubiquitous descriptive concept which may be quite slippery when put on contemporary science. For instance, every couple of years there's always a brand new revolution which will overturn Darwinism. Whether it is punctuated equilibrium, symbiogenesis, or epigenetics. But with time revolutionary fervor abates, and also the orthodoxy remains standing, although with modifications and modifications, which makes it even more robust.

I figured of the after i saw Andrea Cantor s comment below with regards to twin studies:

Twin studies underestimate heritability only when you sign up for the crude notion the effect of genes is additive, i.e., keeping conditions exactly the same, the greater similar a couple are genetically the greater alike they'll be. This ignores everything now that we know concerning the way genes work.

Genes aren't self-initiating: they don't turn on their own and convey traits. Genes don't, actually, produce anything. Genes are switched off and on through the epigenome in reaction to environment inputs. If you're inclined to doubt this, then consider: If all of the cells within our body are meant to contain identical DNA, how can you take into account the presence of different tissue and cells types (answer: the epigenome). Twins happen to be proven to possess considerably different epigenomes within the womb. Performs this reveal that twin studies underestimate heritability Absolutely not. It shows, rather, these research is from touch with advances in molecular genetics.

You're all devoted to a crude, 1800s conception from the relationship between genotype and phenotype. Twin research is based on a scientific paradigm which has continued to be unchanged because the duration of Galton. Issue is, recent advances in molecular genetics are causing a paradigm change within the science of genetics.

Twin studies allow it to be appear all very easy: You just need a sizable data set which has zygosity status and record software and then any undergraduate can solve the biomolecular foundation of human behavior.
Would it were very easy.


I recieve comments such as this frequently. Frequently I do not distribute them (actually, It's my job to prohibit the commenter). These contributions towards the discussion exhibit internal coherency, and fortunately they re not personal attacks (though they are doing often stink of condescension). However they do not really further the discussion, and therefore are prone to just confuse people. I permit this to comment through because I figured it may be interesting to reply to it, to clarify a couple of points.

I outlined some buzzwords and habits which unify an extensive selection of commenters/opinionators on science, from Creationists to quasi-Blank Slaters. You will find general terms for example paradigm change. You will find more often than not references to how dated the science that you're alluding to is. You're from touch (or just being perverse). Then you will find the strange exactly what does that even mean statements which frequently litter these kinds of comments. This really is most likely the primary reason I frequently do not let these comments through: they waste your time and effort simply because they require lots of interpretation. I honestly do not understand what this means to say that anybody would believe that twin studies can solve the biomolecular foundation of human behavior. I d prefer to meet the one who thinks this. Finally, you will find the particular buzzwords. Here you've epigenome. A mention of the the mysterious link between genotype and phenotype usually helps you to impress too.

However it works out which i didn t even have to respond. Luke Jostins reaches it again, protecting the recognition from the twin study! Here s his comment:

@Andrea Cantor

The connection between biological interaction and genetic addativity about the variance component scale is much more complex than I believe you understand, and also the common terms between your two (additivity, interaction, etc) appear to possess tossed off your intuition. The truth is almost all the presumptions of twin research has been extensively examined, and they've all been discovered to be relatively good approximations (statistically) the behavior of genetic risk in populations, in a few relatively well characterised conditions. This doesn t imply that biological systems aren t filled with interaction, or that epigenetic effects aren't important, or that genetic effects are stationary with time, or that interactions between genes and atmosphere don't exist. It simply implies that your intuitive believe these effects lead to record non-additivity about the genetic risk scale is wrong.

Quite simply, Andrea Cantor doesn t understand what she s speaking about. That s fine. But using her comment like a prototype, I really hope it can help us navigate the turbulent waters from the scientific discourse.

August 28th, 2011 Tags: twin studies
by Razib Khan in Behavior Genetics comments Feed Trackback >



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