Panel urges caution in tying sexual orientation, education levels to genes
By Jocelyn Kaiser,
Science
| 04. 25. 2023
Last year, a study linking the DNA and education data for 3 million people of European ancestry found the resulting genetic scores predicted 15% of a person’s highest level of schooling—an influence nearly as strong as parents’ combined education level.
The latest in a series of provocative findings, the study raised a concern a new report out last week from an expert panel addresses: Could studies probing genetic links to social outcomes such as income and education and to traits such as intelligence uncover differences in people of different ancestries that could be misused by racists?
The panel concluded that given scientific uncertainties, for now, scientists and funders should avoid such comparative studies. In the United States, such concerns may be distant: Science has learned that the two major federally funded biobanks generally don’t let their data be used for nonmedical research. But experts convened by the Hastings Center, an ethics think tank, split on whether such studies should ever be done, with some arguing they will never be ethically justified.
“There are people in the group who probably would...
Related Articles
By Jonathan D. Grinstein, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News | 06.26.2024
Partial screenshot from The Bridge Recombination Mechanism
video by The Arc Institute on YouTube (CC)
Buried in a family of mobile genetic elements, Arc Institute researchers led by Patrick Hsu, PhD, have discovered an RNA-guided system that enables modular...
By Carl Zimmer, The New York Times | 05.31.2024
Last year, Jaume Pellicer led a team of fellow scientists into a forest on Grande Terre, an island east of Australia. They were in search of a fern called Tmesipteris oblanceolata. Standing just a few inches tall, it was not...
By Liz Szabo, The New York Times | 05.29.2024
By the time Rena Barrow-Wells gave birth to her fourth baby in 2020, she was well-versed in caring for a child with cystic fibrosis. She was also experienced in fighting for a diagnosis of the disease, which runs in families...
By Alison Snyder, Axios | 06.06.2024
Gene editing's next chapter will be focused on tackling cancers and more common diseases, uncovering new details about aging and other fundamental aspects of biology and editing RNA, top scientists in the field said this week.
The big picture: ...