Editing Biological determinism (section)

== Nature versus nurture debate ==

{{main |Nature and nurture}}

The belief in biological determinism was matched in the 20th century by a [[Tabula rasa|blank slate]] denial of any possible influence of genes on human behaviour, leading to [[Nature and nurture|a long and heated debate about "nature and nurture"]]. By the 21st century, many scientists had come to feel that the dichotomy made no sense. They noted that genes are expressed within an environment, in particular that of [[prenatal development]], and that gene expression is continuously influenced by the environment through mechanisms such as [[epigenetics]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ridley |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Ridley |title=Nature via Nurture: Genes, Experience, & What Makes Us Human |date=2003 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=978-0-002-00663-7 |pages=98–124 The madness of causes, and whole book}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Moore |first=David S. |title=The Developing Genome: An Introduction to behavioural Epigenetics |date=2015 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-199-92234-5 |edition=1st |pages=55–64 Epigenetics, and 156–166 Multiplicity }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/time-to-retire-the-simplicity-of-nature-vs-nurture-1390610295 |title=Time to Retire The Simplicity of Nature vs. Nurture |last=Gutiérrez |first=Luci |date=January 24, 2014 |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] }}</ref> Epigenetics provides evidence that human behaviours or [[physiology]] can be decided by interactions between genes and environments.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Berger |first1=Shelley L. |last2=Kouzarides |first2=Tony |last3=Shiekhattar |first3=Ramin |last4=Shilatifard |first4=Ali |date=1 April 2009 |title=An operational definition of epigenetics |journal=Genes & Development |volume=23 |issue=7 |pages=781–783 |doi=10.1101/gad.1787609 |pmc=3959995 |pmid=19339683 }}</ref> For example, [[Twin|monozygotic twins]] usually have exactly identical [[genome]]s. Scientists have focused on comparison studies of such twins for evaluating the [[heritability]] of genes and the roles of epigenetics in divergences and similarities between monozygotic twins, and have found that epigenetics plays an important part in human behaviours, including the stress response.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Petronis |first=Arturas |date=1 July 2006 |title=Epigenetics and twins: three variations on the theme |journal=[[Trends in Genetics]] |volume=22 |issue=7 |pages=347–350 |doi=10.1016/j.tig.2006.04.010 |pmid=16697072 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bell |first1=Jordana T. |last2=Spector |first2=Tim D. |author2-link=Tim Spector |date=1 March 2011 |title=A twin approach to unraveling epigenetics |journal=Trends in Genetics |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=116–125 |doi=10.1016/j.tig.2010.12.005 |pmid=21257220 |pmc=3063335 }}</ref>