The US adolescents who signed up for the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) in the 1970s were the smartest of the smart, with mathematical and verbal-reasoning skills within the top 1% of the population. Now, researchers at BGI (formerly the Beijing Genomics Institute) i... [More]

0 0 1 1126 6423 crg 53 15 7534 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE At a former paper-printing factory... [More]

Our attempt to comprehend the horror of the Newtown, Conn., elementary-school massacre took a new turn this week when the office of the Connecticut Medical Examiner announced it would work with experts to determine whether the assailant, Adam Lanza, had any discernible genetic defect that might ... [More]

We are once again in the midst of a resurgence of research on behavioral genetics, a field that examines the role of genetics in human (and other animal) behavior.  Indeed, there has been a marked increase in people from fields outside of genetics conducting studies to find a genetic basi... [More]

A couple of science-writing colleagues objected to my recent post on the "warrior gene." Both accuse me of throwing the baby of modern behavioral genetics—which seeks to link complex behavioral traits to specific genes—out with the bathwater of media hype. Naturally, my innate bell... [More]

Just when you think the blame-it-on-our-genes craze can't get worse, the "warrior gene" goes viral. The latest media outlet to flog it is the Dr. Phil show, which on April 4 broadcast "Born to Rage?". From the promo: "Scientists believe they may know why some people are quicker to anger than o... [More]

A new study from North Carolina State is claiming that they have discovered a genetic predisposition to survey taking by comparing data from sets of identical and fraternal twins  As absurd as the premise of this study is on its face, it proves a classic example of the willingness to see... [More]