I'm a little nervous- this is my first attempt at an actual post. Wish me luck.
In Scientific American this month, there is an article called "Searching for Intelligence in our Genes" (Carl Zimmer).
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=searching-for-intelligence-in-our-genes
The title is self-explanatory. Scientists are working on isolating genes that deal with intelligence. So far, they have only found one gene that is directly linked. And this gene produced only a 0.4% difference on intelligence tests. So what makes some smarter than others? Some say that it is a combination of small differences in DNA. Added up, they can produce someone who struggles to subtract or a genius.
Will new discoveries along this line of research affect us? If intelligence was ever "discovered" in the DNA, what would we do with the information? Would it help or hurt?
The article gives the example that such knowledge could help prevent learning disabilities, such as in reading. If parents could see that their son's DNA put him at a risk of dyslexia, they would have the chance to nurture his reading abilities early on to lower his chances of developing it. The same goes for math and science: there is a smaller chance of struggle if the problem is addressed early in life (even before going to school for the first time, where many parents first learn of such issues).
But how far is too far? Richard J. Haier of the University of California said that he is able to provide fairly accurate IQ's of subjects just by looking at their brain scans. In fact:
"Haier suspects that in the near future, 10 minutes in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner may reveal as much about high school students as four hours taking an SAT exam." (Zimmer)
Don't get me wrong- I would be overjoyed if I did not have to take the SAT's. But I wouldn't want to trade the test of what I am consiously thinking about to a brain scan where I sit like a vegetable. What if it merely tells where your brain is currently, instead of where you could be if you studied for your exam? I would rather use up four hours to ensure that I did all that I was capable of.
Where would it go next? Colleges demanding a brain scan along with an admissions essay? Instead of a job interview, would companies demand a strand of hair from each canidate, running their DNA against each other?
Yes, these ideas are far-fetched. But once we crack the code of DNA, the endless possibilities will it make it more difficult to see what the knowledge should be used for. The important thing for us to remember is that while DNA can tell us a lot, the way we are nurtured also has a large impact on our intelligence level.
Wow- it's really hard to write such long posts. Did I do it right? I'm not sure.
In Scientific American this month, there is an article called "Searching for Intelligence in our Genes" (Carl Zimmer).
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=searching-for-intelligence-in-our-genes
The title is self-explanatory. Scientists are working on isolating genes that deal with intelligence. So far, they have only found one gene that is directly linked. And this gene produced only a 0.4% difference on intelligence tests. So what makes some smarter than others? Some say that it is a combination of small differences in DNA. Added up, they can produce someone who struggles to subtract or a genius.
Will new discoveries along this line of research affect us? If intelligence was ever "discovered" in the DNA, what would we do with the information? Would it help or hurt?
The article gives the example that such knowledge could help prevent learning disabilities, such as in reading. If parents could see that their son's DNA put him at a risk of dyslexia, they would have the chance to nurture his reading abilities early on to lower his chances of developing it. The same goes for math and science: there is a smaller chance of struggle if the problem is addressed early in life (even before going to school for the first time, where many parents first learn of such issues).
But how far is too far? Richard J. Haier of the University of California said that he is able to provide fairly accurate IQ's of subjects just by looking at their brain scans. In fact:
"Haier suspects that in the near future, 10 minutes in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner may reveal as much about high school students as four hours taking an SAT exam." (Zimmer)
Don't get me wrong- I would be overjoyed if I did not have to take the SAT's. But I wouldn't want to trade the test of what I am consiously thinking about to a brain scan where I sit like a vegetable. What if it merely tells where your brain is currently, instead of where you could be if you studied for your exam? I would rather use up four hours to ensure that I did all that I was capable of.
Where would it go next? Colleges demanding a brain scan along with an admissions essay? Instead of a job interview, would companies demand a strand of hair from each canidate, running their DNA against each other?
Yes, these ideas are far-fetched. But once we crack the code of DNA, the endless possibilities will it make it more difficult to see what the knowledge should be used for. The important thing for us to remember is that while DNA can tell us a lot, the way we are nurtured also has a large impact on our intelligence level.
Wow- it's really hard to write such long posts. Did I do it right? I'm not sure.
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