Ok - a little more comment the article on genetics vs phenotype (not enough of the article appears in the free-to-all section):
a) Traditional - single-gene-maps-to-phenotypic-expression (e.g. gene x causes heart attack risk) accounts for very small amount of known heritable risk - 5, 10 or 15% in many cases. Where is the rest of the heritability?
b) most of the rest of the heritability may be related to such things as multigenerational epigenetics (now shown in mice to often have powerful effects even though the gene hasn't existed in 2 or more generations) or Lamarkian epigenetics or strange gene interactions having nothing to do with traditional chains of interaction (but, e.g. instead having to do with one gene being active and making physically nearby genes on a different chromosome become more active)
If true it would be a stunning discovery - that most of our heritable phenotype is not passed as simple genes. (Note - I think it is cool hypothesis and almost certainly is a significant factor, but it is way too soon to, for instance, rule out more traditional gene vs gene interactions that are harder to find in a population sweep)
PS Some of the quotes in the article are truly humorous - e.g. the guy saying "well epigenetics may be that powerful in mice, but it just can't be in humans".
AI
