lestatdark said:
dtewi said:
lestatdark said:
Like I said in your wall, smaller personality traits are easily coded by DNA. That's because of DNA fingerprinting, that happens during the fusion of both haploid zygotes in the first days of fertilization.
This DNA fingerprinting randomly methylates certain genomic areas, while keeping other areas unmethylated. When a DNA area is methylated, it cannot be coded by DNA polymerase, thus that trait never appears in protein expression, while if the area is unmethylated, it can be expressed.
Given that also during this process of DNA fingerprinting, homologous recombination of the zygote aleli happens, there's always an extremely high probability of new traits being formed during this recombination (the recombination rate is 2^38, for non-methylated DNA).
That's why some traits of "personality" are coded by DNA, but it doesn't code for complex traits like if a person is wise or pre-disposed to idiocy. That's due to personal experience and environmental effects.
|
My 9th grade biology only goes so far!
Hmmm. So would a pre-disposition to say happiness or anger be able to be expressed? How simplistic are these traits?
|
Those are viable traits to be coded by DNA, to some extent. Some hormones like Serotonine and Dopamine have a direct correlation to the degree of "happiness" or "Sadness" that a person feels.
If both their expression are naturally high, the person would be more predisposed to be happy and to feel well in the world. In the loop-side, if both their expression is naturally low, the person has more disposition to feel depressed.
Both the synthesis and the expression of those hormones is controlled by the major hormone-control region of the human body, the hypophysis, which is connected to the hyphotalamus as well. Both these centers work in tandem in response to metabolical rhythms and sensorial inputs from the environment.
So while those traits can be somewhat regarded to DNA expression, the environment plays the larger role in controlling the levels of those hormones. Thus a person will be more or less "happy" in regards to their personal experience.
|
"somewhat" regarded? They're strongly correlated to DNA expression.
Bolded: that's heavily debated and among the expertise it nowadays clearly leans towards inheritance playing the bigger part. At least in the medical field it does. And there's recent studies that strongly support this, studies that show that human happiness doesn't correlate very well at all with your circumstances, your social position or how lucky or unlucky you are in life, but is determined largely by your natural predisposition.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/03/06/happiness-is-in-the-genes-say-scottish-scientists-86908-20341535/
EDIT: unlucky last sentence, so I added the word "largely" there for clarification.
