It's not your genes' fault.Perhaps a little humility Humility See also Modesty. Humorousness (See WITTINESS.) Bernadette Soubirous, St. humble girl to whom Virgin Mary appeared. [Christian Hagiog.: Attwater, 65–66] Bonaventura, St. washes dishes even though a cardinal. is in order. Two teams of scientists have succeeded in mapping the 30,000 or so genes that make up the human genome--and they tell us that we have only 50 per cent more genes than the earthworm earthworm, terrestrial, cylindrical segmented worm of the class Oligochaeta. There are 2,200 earthworm species, found all over the world except in arid and arctic regions and ranging in size from 1 in. (2.5 cm) to the 11-ft (330-cm) giant worms of the tropics. . Mapping the human genome The human genome is the genome of Homo sapiens, which is composed of 24 distinct pairs of chromosomes (22 autosomal + X + Y) with a total of approximately 3 billion DNA base pairs containing an estimated 20,000–25,000 genes. has been a remarkable scientific achievement. It has taught us a great deal about what effects genes have--and, just as important, do not have--on us as individual human beings. Some people had apparently hoped that the genome would unravel many of the mysteries of life, showing that certain genes were responsible for certain human characteristics. How neat it would be if we could show that gene A was the cause of right-handedness, gene B of heavy-handedness and gene C of light-fingeredness! But, as Nigel Hawkes wrote in The Times, London, `Those who believed that elucidating the genome would provide the key to understanding everything will have to think again.' Our genes, in combination and in ways that we have only begun to understand, do make us human, and they do determine many of our physical, emotional and psychological characteristics. But they do not take away from us the responsibility of making our own choices in life. We can blame our parents for our genes (which are entirely inherited inherited received by inheritance. inherited achondroplastic dwarfism see achondroplastic dwarfism. inherited combined immunodeficiency see combined immune deficiency syndrome (disease). from them), but it is not scientifically justified to lay at their door any ill consequences of our decisions. This puts decision-making firmly back on the life-skills curriculum. And it is important enough a subject to be worth investing a great deal of thought and effort in. Rather than attempting to chart the way forward in a short editorial, it may be more apposite ap·po·site adj. Strikingly appropriate and relevant. See Synonyms at relevant. [Latin appositus, past participle of app to end with quotes from two high-profile young Britons, who have their own valuable takes on decision making. James Mawdsley James Rupert Russell Mawdsley is a human rights activist campaigning for democracy in Myanmar. He is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Australia. Mawdsley was arrested several times for his involvement and deported three times. , 27, released last October from being a `prisoner of conscience' in Burma: `I hope that young people will be empowered by the idea that they can achieve things very young without resources or being qualified, without belonging to an organization or having an employer, just by going out and following their hearts'. Or, as Ellen MacArthur Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE (born July 8, 1976) is an English sailor from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman who, on February 7, 2005, broke the world record for the , solo round-the-world yachts-woman, 24, loves to say, `If you have a dream, you can really make it happen!' |
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