• Sophie’s Choice: A Return to Nature

    Sophie’s Choice: A Return to Nature

    In 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 lives – one would be gassed to death and one would be sent to a children’s camp. As any parent will testify, it’s an impossible decision to […]

  • Evolution – A Game of Chinese Whispers

    Evolution – A Game of Chinese Whispers

    If you had to think of an analogy to best describe evolution and the process of natural selection you might well opt for it being akin to a game of Chinese Whispers (or as some people call it – the Telephone Game). This comparison between the two is often made and is even used in […]

  • Genetic Engineering: Essential and Inevitable

    Genetic Engineering: Essential and Inevitable

    One thing that is apparent from our longer lifespans is that, as we age, the human form is prone to many genetically driven debilitating conditions. In other words, the longer we live the more likely we are to succumb to some genetically prescribed condition, notably cancers and degenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s. Similarly, throughout our […]

  • Human Evolution – Past Success; Future Doubt

    Human Evolution – Past Success; Future Doubt

    Humanity – we’re doing alright. In fact, we’re probably doing better than alright. We’ve been around awhile and, generally, our existence has not been too much in doubt. This is because, over the years, thousands of years, we have put ourselves in a strong evolutionary position. As a species, at some point in our development […]

  • A Genetic Appraisal – Measuring Performance

    A Genetic Appraisal – Measuring Performance

    We may not be due our year end, a salary review or our final exams but it should not mean that we are exempt from a genetic appraisal of how we are performing as a species. Are we achieving what we are supposed to be striving for? How well are we doing? How do we […]

  • Genetic Dystopia – Nature’s Cruelty

    Genetic Dystopia – Nature’s Cruelty

    All too often we will admire Nature for the beauty it produces, for the complexities it displays and for the variation it generates; but Nature also represents a cruel world. It’s a harsh reality – a dystopian state. If you are to ask what a dystopian world would look like, you would quite likely point […]

  • Genetic Banking – Capturing Opportunities

    Genetic Banking – Capturing Opportunities

    Once a life is lived, its genetic outcome is spent. If a species has not taken advantage of the genetic opportunities presented to it, then that is a wasteful loss of potential. In a relentless battle for survival, to miss out on a resource that could prove beneficial might be considered as both negligent and […]

  • Mobility … Our Genetic Path to Development

    Mobility … Our Genetic Path to Development

    Development – whether that is industrial, technological, economic or social – has expanded exponentially over the last couple of hundred years. This sudden upsurge contrasts with the slow, steady and incremental progress that had for many generations preceded it. Why has that suddenly happened? What triggered it? What sustains it? How long will it continue […]

  • Bagging a Territory to Secure a Mate

    Bagging a Territory to Secure a Mate

    Different animals have different reproductive strategies. The only common characteristic is that each strategy is purposefully designed to secure the best reproductive partner available. By doing this an animal aims to give their off-spring the best genetic prospects. A common reproductive strategy is for the male to acquire a particular territory and then to seek […]