Samyukta Kulkarni Week 11: Week 11: Nurture vs Nature
Image by Zahra Bijani
When I look at my mom, I see my same dark brown eyes looking back at me, revealing how genetics play a crucial role in determining physical appearance. Just like my dad, I have learned to be organized and efficient when completing tasks, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. This habit did not come from my DNA but was developed through years of observation.
The debate of nature versus nurture has baffled scientists for generations. Studying this issue can be difficult, as it requires innovative approaches to distinguish between the effects of genetics and the environment. Twin studies are particularly useful when looking at this debate. Methods include studying twins who were raised together and another set that were separated from a young age.
Francis Galton was the first to study twins to settle the argument once and for all and his findings led him to believe that nature, our genetics, has more power of nurture, the environment in which we are raised in. He invented the term eugenics, which was a practice aimed at increasing favorable traits while decreasing unfavorable or undesirable ones. Galton’s research lacked rigor and used “science” to promote racial and class superiority.
However, more conductive research now says that it is not a contest between the two. Instead of nature VERSUS nurture, it is nature AND nurture. Both are powerful in shaping who we are because genes do not act alone in their conditions but they express certain traits because of their conditions.
Hi Samyukta. First off I wanted to say that your blog is really relevant to me as in AP Bio we just finished our genetics unit. I agree with everything you said. There’s a lot of phenotypes that can’t be properly expressed or are expressed in different magnitudes depending on the type of nurture you get. For example, if I grew up malnourished, no matter how tall my dad is I’d probably still be 5 ‘7. It works the other way too: if I grew up super rich and well fed, if I don’t have the gene to grow tall, I’d still be at 5 '7. Interesting how that works.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of using twins to study eugenics is more common today, but still remains a contentious topic. Many people believe it’s not right to conduct experiments on humans as if we were lab rats. However, the findings of the studies that are published provide so many answers to questions and so much data that it seems silly to not take the risk for the sake of science. Again, this involves humans, and is a very controversial issue.
I liked how you were able to connect this scientific topic to your personal life and how genetics influences your appearance and behaviors. It’s always nice to have blogs revolving around something personal. I also really like the lighter gray text you use, as it goes easier on my eyes when reading. I appreciate that you separated your blog into smaller paragraphs with their own subtopics, which made reading the entire blog easier. Finally, this blog involves a lot of scientific facts which is something unique throughout my cohorts which made this a very informative read. Thanks a lot for your work and I’m looking forward to reading what you have next week.
Hi Samyukta! I really like the topic you chose to write about this week, it's relatable in so many ways, especially now. Taking both AP bio and psych, the concept of nature vs. nurture has essentially become a household name. After just finishing a genetics unit in ap bio and a developmental unit (with twin studies) in ap psych, it's exciting to see someone else write about it. Delving more into the twin studies, I always find them intriguing because of the results. If feel like nearly everyone grew up with the assumption that studying and hard work are the biggest influences in intelligence; that the parents and how they raise their children are strong influencers for their children's intelligence. However, twin studies have found that intelligence is actually largely based around nature (genetics). It's surprising results like this that keep a sustained interest in me for psychology and biology, especially in terms of the Nature vs. Nurture debate.
ReplyDeleteHi Sam! First off I love the image you chose for your blog. The fury and madness on the faces of the different hearts really do convey how ridiculous the nature vs. nurture debate. I am self-studying AP Pysch currently, and like you, find the idea of twin studies fascinating. I remember learning about one experiment where two twins who had never known each other both married a woman named Betty and divorced from a woman named Linda, though I only mention that because it's an amusing coincidence. I appreciate how you ground the seemingly abstract topic of nature vs. nurture with your own lived experiences at the start of the blog, drawing in the reader's attention. Overall, this was a clearly-written blog and a nice educational refresh.
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