Story Summary:…Kari bridled at this, eyes blazing like lava floes in Giless wonderful phrase, and insisted this was simply untrue….But I sided with Helen on another issue, which provoked a less predictable explosion from Kari and a declaration that I was unimpeachably wrong….This time, Karis ire was inspired by my comment that most genetic effects are probabalistic, not deterministic….Most people wrongly still think of genetics as primarily a deterministic science, a matter of effects that are written in the genes, when genetic influences are usually much more fuzzy….Ownership of one of these does not mean that you will get this disease or that, only that your genetic risk is higher than average….This has to be taken into account when we think about genetic discrimination….It means that assessing somebodys suitability for a job on the basis of their DNA would not only be unfair, but also misguided….This doesnt means that genetic testing will not have great medical utility….It will — not least in identifying higher-risk people who might usefully be screened early for diseases such as breast and prostate cancer….Pick your candidate on the basis of his or her genes, and you stand a very good chance of missing out on the one who would perform best….Mark Hendersonis Science Editor of The Times, and a double winner of the Norwich Union / Medical Journalists Association awards….He is the author of 50 Genetics Ideas You Really Need to Know….He is the author of 50 Genetics Ideas You Really Need to Know….Sam Listeris the Health Editor of The Times….She has a PhD in space physics from Imperial College but has long given up being a proper scientist….She has a PhD in space physics from Imperial College but has long given up being a proper scientist….Read the Full Story
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