Sunday, August 30, 2009

Genetics

I need no further evidence of the significance of genes in determining behavior. Witness my wife and her side of the family. Now, I love my wife dearly. but she has one flaw. She is an incurable telephonalolic--about four hours a day. There is little doubt that this is a genetically determined behavior, gender related. All the female members exhibit the behavior. Its most extreme manifestation is when they talk with each other, which is frequent. I have seen this pass through four generations of females. No males in the family exhibit the trait, although they are certainly carriers. They endure, complaining only poccasionally about the telephone bills. The behavior is resistant to extinction, pervasive as to geographic location, and of lifelong duration. No one has identified this gene as yet, only because no one has looked. There is also likely to be a brain area, close to where language expression resides in the left hemisphere (more generalized in females). I therefore challenge any neuroscientist or genetic types who stumble on thois blog to begin the task of identifying and eradicating this pernicious trait before it spreads further.

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