Family feuds can be deadly, especially when the two sides have armies. Research reported by Foreign Policy indicates that “countries are far more likely to go to war with other countries whose populations are genetically similar to their own.” The problem isn’t simply that genetically similar populations are close to each other. The trend holds true even when correcting for proximity by removing countries that border each other or are close together. Since genetically similar people tend to have more interaction, the research validates the old saw: Familiarity breeds contempt.

Source: Foreign Policy 

It seems unfair: Why can some of the greatest creative minds produce masterpieces while under the influence, while others simply end up with drivel? Apparently it’s genetic. The British magazine Prospect reports on a 2004 study that found “around 15 percent of Caucasians have a genetic variant, known as the G-variant, that makes ethanol behave more like an opioid drug, such as morphine, with a stronger than normal effect on mood and behavior.” This allows some “to remain healthy and brilliant despite consumption that would kill others.” But if you happen so be so fortunate, don’t get too carried away—as with any alcohol consumption, there is a fine line between optimum creativity and exceeding your limits.

Source: Prospect

Image by preater, licensed under Creative Commons.

In November the Oprah show introduced millions of viewers to Time magazine's "Invention of the Year", the 23andMe DNA test kit. This direct-to-consumer test promises buyers that, with one easy spit into a tube, they can unlock the mysteries of their genetic history by mailing saliva to be matched against 23andMe's DNA databases. 

DNA tests aren't the gold standard of accuracy and truth, though, as Sue Friedman, founder of the nonprofit Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowerment (FORCE), illuminates in a special issue of GeneWatch. Potential problems include the invisible hand of biotech companies involved in unregulated marketing of these tests to consumers, as well as the possibility of incorrect interpretation without the benefit of expert analysis. 

Consumers need to understand that a DNA test is not a silver bullet for health forecasting, and the companies that sell these tests need to comprehend the responsibilities inherent in their business. As Friedman states, "people are making real-life, real-moment decisions based on test results."

Jesus understands the great power and opportunity that lies in our ability to clone human beings, according to a funny, fictional Q&A by David Ng in the Science Creative Quarterly. In the discussion, Jesus learns the basics of genetics and imagines cloning himself:

GENETICIST: It is strangely fitting that you talk about your own needs, since the ultimate hope is for one day to use these cloning methodologies to alter deficiencies within our own human genetics. In fact, we could even one day clone a version of You with alterations of your own asking.

JESUS: That, my child, is an interesting option. I am allergic to kiwi, and I LOVE kiwi. Also, truth be told, I am also deeply troubled by my inability to roll my tongue (sticks his tongue out). See? It is the seat of much anguish since both my parents, Mary and Joseph, can do it. Sometimes I don’t even think they are my real parents.

(Thanks, Seed.)

—Sarah Pumroy