People never change. Science tells us that our genetic imprint pre-determines Your Fate, Your Character, Your Choices.
Anne Curtis presents a profound philosophical conundrum: Can we escape our genetic destiny?
From intelligence, skin color, to behavioral disorders—all this talk of the heritability of traits sounds more like a life sentence for people set to inherit genes that run in families. The belief that genes are the sole determinant of our behavior is known as genetic determinism. By the argument immortalized by Ms. Curtis, it seems that the DNA spiral acts as an inescapable cage where our physical traits remain fixed and preordained by ancestry.
In defense of the brutal assertion stated above, intelligence is a highly hereditary trait, but is malleable to time and the environment. The heritability of one’s intelligence quotient (IQ), a measure of human intelligence from standardized tests, is estimated to be as high as 0.8, whereas other psychological traits, such as alcoholism or neuroticism, rarely reach this level. Despite the high heritability, the gene-environment interplay allows the contribution of high genetic and environmental influences on individual differences. Evidence of IQ gains over time consequent to adoption, migration, societal development, and early education has been recorded, while the slowdown of age-related cognitive declines has also been shown.
But this is just the case for intelligence—what of other traits?
The interesting case of Alzheimer’s disease patients who escaped their genetic fate deserves the spotlight. Less than 5% of Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a single genetic mutation in any of the three genes: Presenilin 1 (PS1) on chromosome 14, Presenilin 2 (PS2) on chromosome 1, and Amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene on chromosome 21. Such mutations follow an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern, meaning that each child of a parent with the mutated gene has a 50% chance of inheriting the same mutation. Despite these overwhelming odds, individuals who inherited the gene did not develop Alzheimer’s disease and even lived until their 70s. The reasons behind how they achieved this remain shrouded in mystery; although scientists infer a rare mutation on an unrelated gene that countered the effects of the Alzheimer’s mutation, or maybe an immune system function that shields the brain we are yet to study. But the fact remains: we can clearly defy our genetic fates.
Perhaps the thought of inheriting behavioral disorders should not overshadow the drive to provide better treatment and early interventions. After all, the DNA spiral is not a prison that entraps us, but rather a blueprint that maps out our genetic paths, offering endless possibilities.
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