Eva Amsen in Undark:
Genetics is rarely as simple as introductory biology classes make it seem. Only some biological traits, such as blood groups or dry ear wax, are linked to a single gene and passed on in the predictable way that Gregor Mendel demonstrated with pea plants in the mid-19th century. Instead, many traits are a complex effect of multiple genes in combination with other factors. For example, even though some people are genetically predisposed to be at a higher risk of heart disease, their health outcome also depends on their lifestyle and health care access. But if it’s already difficult to predict whether someone will develop heart disease based on genetics alone, imagine how much more nebulous it gets when genetic test results are linked to social or behavioral outcomes.
In “What We Inherit: How New Technologies and Old Myths Are Shaping Our Genetic Future,” Sam Trejo and Daphne O. Martschenko outline the complex relationship between genetics and societal issues. The title refers both to genetic inheritance and to two persistent genetic myths that have been passed on through generations. One is the destiny myth, which assumes that genetics alone can fully explain differences between people. The other is the race myth, or the belief that there is a genetic basis for the way that society has categorized people into races.
More here.
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