Sociobiology Flops Again
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چکیده
Article: It is difficult to take seriously something that states flatly that "physical and psychological characteristics can hardly be modified voluntarily," especially during the Olympic Games, which began shortly after Perusse's preprint was circulated for commentary. As people vie for status, we witness menarche delayed by starvation and tortuous exercise or muscle mass grossly exaggerated by pumping iron and popping steroids. Environment is not simply inspiration provided by a parent's dying words, national pride, or greed; it includes life-long habits and education that can sculpt the body and change the wiring of the brain. The idea that genes specify structure while environment merely modulates the mental is very far behind the state of the art in neuroscience.
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