The Gene Myths series will feature incisive, succinct articles by leading scientists disputing the exaggerations and misrepresentations of the power of genes that circulate in both popular media and scholarly journals.  Recently published claims assert that genes exist for marital infidelity and for voting behavior, and that genetic tests can accurately predict children's success in particular sports. Articles in the series will provide accessible, science-based arguments against genomania in a range of areas, including behavior genetics, genetic medicine, genetic testing, reproductive technologies,and biotech agriculture.

Gene Myths

Introductory Essay:

"Science is an interpretation of nature and, like other forms of interpretation, fits into the cultural framework of its time.  I shall illustrate this fact by tracing some of the threads that, in the course of the twentieth century have led to the notion that genes determine virtually all physical and social characteristics of human and other animals."

Ruth Hubbard is a former Board member and founder of CRG and professor emerita of biology at Harvard University.  She currently serves on the editorial committee of GeneWatch. Among other books, she is the co-author with Elijah Wald of Exploding The Gene Myth: How Genetic Information Is Produced and Manipulated by Scientists, Physicians, Employers, Insurance Companies, Educators, and Law Enforcers. (Beacon Press)


Additional Essays:

Evolution Is Not Mainly A Matter of Genes by Stuart Newman

Stuart Newman is a professor of cell biology and anatomy at New York Medical College.  He has been a visiting professor at the Pasteur Institute, Paris, the Centre à l'Energie Atomique-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, the University of Tokyo, and was a Fogarty Senior International Fellow at Monash University, Australia.  He was a founding member of the Council for Responsible Genetics, Cambridge, MA and is a Fellow of the Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future.

Some Problems with Genetic Horoscopes by Eva Jablonka 

Eva Jablonka is a professor at the Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas at Tel Aviv University. With Marion J. Lamb, she wrote Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life (2006), and Epigenetic Inheritance and Evolution (1995). The former describes and discusses recent knowledge about genes, development and evolution which opens a broad and refreshing perspective on inheritance and evolution. For V2, she published Information Is Everything That Can Be Interpreted in 2007s Interact or Die!.

Jablonka publishes about evolutionary themes, especially epigenetics. Her emphasis on non-genetic forms of evolution has won her a great deal of interest and support from those attempting to expand the scope of evolutionist thinking into other spheres.


Genes as Difference Makers by Evelyn Fox Keller

Evelyn Fox Keller is an American physicist, author, and feminist and is currently a Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Keller has also taught at New York University and in the department of rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley.

Keller received her B.A. in physics from Brandeis University in 1957 and continued her studies in theoretical physics at Harvard University graduating with a Ph.D. in 1963. She became interested in molecular biology during a visit to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory while completing her Ph.D. dissertation. Her subsequent research has focused on the history and philosophy of modern biology and on gender and science.

The Fruitless Search for Genes in Psychiatry and Psychology: Time to Re-Examine a Paradigm?
by Jay Joseph and Carl Ratner

Jay Joseph, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He earned his doctoral degree at the California School of Preofessional Psychology.  Since 1988, he has published many articles in peer reviewed journals focusing on genetic theories in psychiatry and psychology.  His list of publications include, The Gene Illusion:  Genetic Research in Psychiatry andPsychology Under the Microscope (2004), and The Missing Gene: Psychiatry, Heredity, and the Fruitless Search for Genes (2006).  For more information about this author, please visit http://www.jayjoseph.net .

Carl Ratner has been a professor of psychology for 31 years, has received two Fulbright awards, and has taught courses at UC Santa Cruz and Stanford University.  He has written about cultural psychology and qualitative methodology and is currently developing a coherent psychological theory known as macro cultural psychology.  His upcoming publications include Macro Cultural Psychology:  A Political Philosophy of Mind (2011).  Past publications include Cultural Psychology:  A Perspective on Psychological Functioning and Social Reform (2006). For more information about this author, please visit http://www.sonic.net/~cr2/