Genes and Genetics
The way Genes and Genetics are perceived in current culture is that they are god-like elements that determine our fate and rule our very existence.
The truth is a lot more complex and far more interesting than that, and even before Genes were discovered, there was plenty of evidence that there is more to life, evolution and humanity than the genetic code.
In this article, I want to explore how genes influence us and how they are affected and controlled by other processes and structures in ourselves and our environments.
Introduction
The journey this article will take you on involves addressing these questions.
- What is a gene?
- What are genetics
Further reading
- Dawkins re examined: Is it time to move on and acknowledge that Dawkins’ theory is not the whole story? Might his theory be making a fundamental mistake in reducing humans to machines? Or does the Selfish Gene remain a remarkably powerful and accurate account of who we are?
- Biology beyond genes: Is the selfish gene metaphor radically misguided? Should we give up the idea that the gene is the foundation of life? Oxford biologist Denis Noble maps out the future for biology beyond the genome.
- TED Talks Dr. Dean Ornish: Your genes are not your fate
- How Genetic Surprises Complicate the Old Doctrine of DNA. This is a good summary article introducing the idea that organisms d not always express what the dna implies they should. They call it epistasis. The point is that too much is made of genetics. Life is far more complicated and we should be aware that genetics is just part of what controls cells.
- It’s time to admit that genes are not the blueprint for life
- Never Before Seen Viral Organisms Found Inside Our Bodies – “Obelisks“by Anton Petrov. A whole new class of genetic material including Obelisks and Viroids.
- MicroRNA is the master regulator of the genome − researchers are learning how to treat disease by harnessing the way it controls genes
- On the Trail of the Denisovans. DNA has shown that the extinct humans thrived around the world, from chilly Siberia to high-altitude Tibet — perhaps even in the Pacific islands.
- Revolutionary Genetics Research Shows RNA May Rule Our Genome
- Scientists have recently discovered thousands of active RNA molecules that can control the human body
- Chronic stress can alter genetic material in sperm, leading to changes in offspring behaviour
- How (apparently) identical animals can have different genomes – new research
- The human spliceosome: Decade-long study reveals first blueprint of the most complex molecular machine inside every cell
