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Understanding Life and Death: A Genetic Perspective
Read more: Understanding Life and Death: A Genetic PerspectiveIs it possible to be alive but dead or to be dead but still living? It depends on how we define death. Death is about being in a non-contributory state. It is when we cease to be doing anything. More specifically, it is when we no longer have any purpose, relevance, or value for our…
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Genetic Flaws: Understanding Human Imperfection
Read more: Genetic Flaws: Understanding Human ImperfectionNo one’s perfect; no one can ever be perfect – that’s certainly the case in genetics. This lack of perfection, this inability to achieve perfection, means that we all carry weaknesses. Genetic flaws. Some greater than others; some more consequential than others. These flaws matter because they are liabilities on our genetic balance sheet. Whatever…
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The Changing Shift in Gender Roles
Read more: The Changing Shift in Gender RolesThroughout Nature and certainly in the case of humanity, males have tended to be the dominant gender – not only are they bigger and stronger, but the nature of their reproductive act – their genetic contribution – is rapid-repeating, unlimited and non-committal. It means that they can tender their genes as much as they like.…
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Our Life’s Performance – A Genetic Review
Read more: Our Life’s Performance – A Genetic ReviewThe results are in. Our individual genetic assessment comes back to us. It doesn’t make for the best of reading. In fact, it’s rather like reliving those school reports we received as children – could do better; if he applied himself more; too easily distracted. It seems our Genetic Priorities have not received the attention…
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Humanity’s Mistaken Persuasion
Read more: Humanity’s Mistaken PersuasionHumanity has an enormous sense of self-importance. We like to think of ourselves as being centre stage – life revolves around us. We are Nature’s superior beings – the masters, the leaders, the controllers of this world. But it’s a mistaken outlook. Although we may try to be, we are not the main participant in…
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Choosing the Right Partner for Successful Reproduction
Read more: Choosing the Right Partner for Successful ReproductionReproduction, the passing on of our genes to another generation, is life’s most important task. As divined by Nature, it is the very purpose of our existence. And yet, all species have limited opportunities for reproduction. An individual has to reach a certain level of maturity; they may have to wait until environmental conditions are…
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Sci-fi Genetics – Correcting the Vision
Read more: Sci-fi Genetics – Correcting the VisionWatching futuristic sci-fi films often proves quite problematic for many of us. A large proportion of the population always seems to be missing. Where are all the ugly, overweight, bespectacled, disabled people? They no longer seem to exist. We can only presume they were transferred into some “Wellsian” underworld. But maybe not; maybe there is…
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Genetic Luck – A Favoured Humanity?
Read more: Genetic Luck – A Favoured Humanity?Right here: right now. What are the odds? And why us? It didn’t have to be us. So often – too often – we take our existence for granted. It didn’t have to be like this. We didn’t have to be here; we didn’t have to be here in this state of being. Things could…
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Sophie’s Choice: A Return to Nature
Read more: Sophie’s Choice: A Return to NatureIn the film Sophie’s Choice, Sophie (played by Meryl Streep) is ordered by a Nazi officer to make the difficult choice as to which of her two children she keeps – one would then be gassed to death, and one would be sent to a children’s camp. As any parent will testify, it’s an impossible…