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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 decision to make. How can we choose between our children? And yet…
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Evolution – A Game of Chinese Whispers
Read more: Evolution – A Game of Chinese WhispersIf we had to think of an analogy to best describe evolution and the process of natural selection, we might well opt to compare it 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 some schools as part of the teaching process. It provides a practical demonstration of…
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Genetic Engineering: Essential and Inevitable
Read more: Genetic Engineering: Essential and InevitableOne 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, as an individual, 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 lives, we live a genetic lottery, not knowing what…
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Human Evolution – Past Success; Future Doubt
Read more: Human Evolution – Past Success; Future DoubtHumanity – we’re doing alright. In fact, we’re probably doing better than alright. We’ve been around a while 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, we would have had to decide on the evolutionary path we…
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A Genetic Appraisal – Measuring Performance
Read more: A Genetic Appraisal – Measuring PerformanceWe may not be due our year-end, a salary review, or our final exams, but that does not mean we are exempt from an 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 compare with others? What should we be working on? Having an appraisal is an assessment…
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Genetic Dystopia – Nature’s Cruelty
Read more: Genetic Dystopia – Nature’s CrueltyAll 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 we are to ask what a dystopian world would look like, we would quite likely point to a controlled, ruthless world where the individual is subsumed by a…
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Genetic Banking – Capturing Opportunities
Read more: Genetic Banking – Capturing OpportunitiesOnce 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. It’s like a squandered talent, like a great athlete who fails to make the most of their gift. In a relentless battle for survival, to miss out on a resource that could prove necessary or…
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Mobility – Our Genetic Path to Development
Read more: Mobility – Our Genetic Path to DevelopmentDevelopment – 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, incremental progress that had preceded it for many generations. Why has that suddenly happened? What triggered it? What sustains it? How long will it continue for? Fundamentally, the expansion in our human development is a consequence of our…
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How Reproductive Strategies Secure a Partner
Read more: How Reproductive Strategies Secure a PartnerDifferent 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 to show off his acquisition to prospective female partners based on the…