The mass media report percentages of heritability. for various conditions. For instance autism is 90% heritable, height 80%, BMI 60%, musical aptitude 50%, depression 40%, breast cancer 30%. But these percentages are of no use to you, because they only apply to the population investigated, not in general. And they vary immensely between populations. Telling someone that their trait or illness has a specific heritability percentage is wrong.
Families, genes, and psychiatric disorders
Genetic variants and mutations can increase the susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. But the DSM does not really apply to the real world of genetically determined presentations. Hospital departments for DSM categories are outdated. Clusters of families would make better units for research into and care for severe mental disorders.
Can you inherit homosexuality?
I can still remember the commotion which arose in 1990 when Dutch neuroscientist Dick Swaab published an article saying that homosexual men had an area in their hypothalamus which was twice the size of the same area in heterosexual men. Many found the idea – that homosexuality might have a biological basis – quite alarming! At the time I worked … Read More
Errors and disasters: the perfect storm
Errors and disasters do not come about by one causal factor. There is always a chain of unpredictable events. This also poses a problem for scientists. They do not know the law of conservation of misery.
Why mirror neurons do not exist
Neurons are not associated one-on-one with a specific function. There is no such thing as a mirror neuron or the mirror system, just as there is no Jennifer Aniston neuron or neurons for a particular emotion or a particular movement. Just as a swallow in a flock is not a “flock swallow”, a neuron which is involved in seeing somebody else perform one of our actions is not a mirror neuron.
Delusions and conspiracy theories: belief in conceived logic
Delusions are distorted models in your head about the world around you. Facts, arguments or perceptions will not correct this model. A person with delusions will fit the facts to the model. People with psychoses can entertain delusions, but so do people who believe in conspiracy theories.
Seeing with your mind’s eye: not for everyone
I have misplaced my iPhone. I search for it with my mind’s eye. In thoughts I trace my route through the house. Some people, such as Oliver Sacks, lack a mind’s eye. This is called aphantasia. At the other extreme are people with a super mind’s eye.
Your will is what you want
You think you have a will, but that is a misconception about your ego. The will as a tangible thing does not exist. You want something at a certain moment after you choose from different wishes. And that choice can change within a short time, perhaps even to the complete opposite.
Science in the time of Corona: Part 2
Translated by Rumia Bose During the first lockdown in the Netherlands I wrote a blog about Science in the time of Corona. The emphasis lay on explaining the business of science, and that the establishing of facts took time that we did not have. At such moments you have to trust scientists and policy makers who are in charge.We now … Read More
Memories of early childhood?
The memory develops after birth. A baby starts by registering how it should move. From around the age of three, a child can register events which form part of its life story, to be recalled in later life. But emotional events such as traumas are possibly registered much earlier as stray facts. These can elicit reactions, although you can’t retell them.
