Why doesn DNA profiling work?
Sharon Begley, the superb Wall Street Journal science columnist, addressed the question in her July 7 column. Long answer short: Because the future remains — at least as yet — unknowable. Since genes must act in the real world — not in a laboratory vacuum with variables held to a minimum — unpredictable life events and circumstances govern the expression, or lack thereof, of our encoded genetic messages. Commenting on why some individuals who have a gene associated with violence and aggression show no heightened aggression, Dr. Stephen Suomi of the National Institutes of Health, whose research centers on this subject, said, “If you have a good mother, it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference which gene you have. Good mothering acts as a buffer.” Here’s the column. Life Events Thwart Scientists’ Attempts To Draw DNA Profiles Genetics might not seem to have a lot in common with birding, but the fields share one pesky little problem. Birders are wont to fight over whether someone saw what
