Viridium.ro

There goes brain fart #2…

To investigate how Mendelism may be simulated, we collected data on a common familial behavioral trait, attendance at medical school, among the relatives of 249 preclinical medical students. The “risk” of first-degree relatives going to medical school was approximately 61 times that of the general population. Complex segregation analysis carried out under a unified model provided strong evidence of vertical transmission. The results were compatible with transmission of a major effect, and a recessive model [...]

So you say that the reason those people go to medical school is not because it is in their environment, but because of some yet-to-be-found gene? Bullshit!  Switch to any other kind of school and you’ll find predilection everywhere. Hardly a reason to blame genes, though.

We are undoubtedly a product of our genes, but we are as much, if not more, a product of our environment. What happens here is that, yes, there may be some genetic conditioning, in that children tend to follow their parents because their genetic makeup makes them similar to their parents, and therefore a similar take on life is expected. This includes the kind of school that they are best suited for.

But wait, there’s more. Evolution favors the organisms that do best in their environment. One way to do better is to have a head-start, and what better way to get a head-start than to learn from your parents all those years you were at home. In fact, just staying around your parents helps a child learn a lot. No wonder I’m so good with language and I’m drawn to teaching—I’ve been around foreign language for so long. No wonder I knew English was a Germanic language around Americans who did not.

So to conclude, please imagine going back in time some 20 years, and let 249 farmer families adopt the 249 soon-to-be students. How many will still go to medical school? I bet your stats will change drastically.