And Yet it May (Or May Not) Move
If we allow ideological campaigns to discourage controversial research, we will be making a terrible mistake.
Bryan J. Pesta
· 21 min read
Genetics
A collection of 30 posts
Svante Pääbo and the Human Story
Not so long ago, he taught us, there were at least three distinct hominin lineages roaming large parts of the planet.
The Quillette Editorial Board
· 4 min read
Learning to Forgive the Father I Never Met—and the Mother He Seduced
My mother could always sense the difference, the alienation, between me and my father. It’s not that we didn’t get along. It’s just that there was almost nothing there—nothing in common. He was American football, girls, tailgating, hunting, the Air Force, that one story about being
Nick Comilla
· 18 min read
The Culture War is Coming for Your Genes
The truth is we can never hope for a perfect alignment between moral desert and material reward because we each have competing definitions of what constitutes merit.
Damien Morris
· 12 min read
'The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality'—A Review
The scientific idea that one’s genes affect one’s life outcomes isn’t novel.
Robert VerBruggen
· 10 min read
What Would It Take to Run a 1:50 Marathon?
Hope had been expressed during the early part of this century that DNA testing might be used to identify individuals with exceptional athletic ability.
Michael Joyner
· 6 min read
There is No ‘Gay Gene,’ but Sexuality is Affected by Many Genes of Small Effect
Day by day, as genetic science advances, it becomes ever clearer that all psychological traits are genetically influenced.
Jerry Barnett
· 4 min read
'The Guarded Gate' Review: Elites and Their Eugenics Projects
The sordid and shameful history of eugenics in the U.S. should be better known, as should the role of another prominent American institution that was central to the development of eugenics ideology.
Jack B. Nimble
· 13 min read
Genes, Environment, and Luck: What We Can and Cannot Control
Michael Shermer
· 14 min read
Should We Use Genetic Technology to Boost Human Intelligence?
Instead of using the label “eugenics” to discredit advocates of genetic enhancement, it would be more productive to ask what precisely we deem unacceptable and why.
Julien Delhez
· 12 min read
What Does Genetic Research Tell Us About Equal Opportunity and Meritocracy?
Are genetic castes inevitable?
Robert Plomin
· 18 min read
Is Sociogenomics Racist?
Those scientists who want to draw attention to the racial bias in genetic research but who don’t want to acknowledge the scientific validity of race are in a tricky position.
Toby Young
· 22 min read
Forget Nature versus Nurture — Nature Has Won
Plomin tries to present this cascade of new information about the genetic influence on human behavior in a way that will positively affect human behavior – but his own work suggests the impact of such arguments will be limited.
Gregory Cochran
· 7 min read
How Animal Genes Go to Battle to Dominate Offspring
One consequence of these genetic battles is the effect on reproductive compatibility within a species.
The Future of Genetic Enhancement Is Not in the West
If the critics are correct that human enhancement is unethical, dangerous or both, then yes, emergence in China would be worrying.
G Owen Schaefer
· 5 min read