Jake Young is a MD/PhD student at Mount Sinai School of Medicine focusing in Neuroscience. He is due to graduate in 2032. He received a BS and a MS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University -- where he spent most of his time drinking heavily and building vegetable catapults instead of learning information that would now be eminently useful. When he is not failing terrifically to perform his sworn duties, he enjoys watching bad movies, ethnic food, and running.
Pure Pedantry is a blog about science -- social sciences and otherwise -- as well as academic and scientific culture. No one can live on science alone, so I also like to dwell on pop culture, periodically explore the humanities, and indulge in other types of geeky goodness.
Jake is joined periodically by two wonderful guest bloggers: Kara Contreary and Kate Seip. See the About Page.
DISCLAIMERS: 1) Jake Young is not a licensed physician (yet). He is merely a medical student. The information published on this site is not intended for use in medical decision making. Please seek advice from a licensed, medical professional before making any health decisions. 2) The opinions expressed are my own or those of my co-bloggers. They do not represent the views of SEED magazine or the educational establishments we currently attend.
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Category: Nature vs. Nuture • Neuroscience
Posted on: June 15, 2006 3:10 PM, by Jake Young
I was totally incensed by this article in the New York Times, largely because the science quoted -- what little there was in between the anecdotes -- was truly attrocious, ignorant of alternative views, and completely missing the point.
When I get a free moment I will provide some clear examples of why genetics is a factor in determining behavior but only in an environmental context. Until then Cognitive Daily and The Frontal Cortex seem to be confronting the issue quite ably.
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Comments
For those poor souls who still believe in the behavior/genetics "divide", for the sake of science please lose that simplistic theoretical construct once and for all. Everything, at least having to do with living beings, is multi-factorial and infinitely complex. Approaching issues of behavior with complexity in mind makes the task of unraveling the mysteries of life so much more fun and rewarding, even if the that task is harder and the answers more elusive.
Posted by: Joseph T. Young | June 15, 2006 11:31 PM