"Hoffman v. Monsanto" raises questions about the civil litigation system. Are courts appropriate institutions, and are class actions the appropriate procedure, for resolving disputes about genetically modified organisms (GMOs)? After addressing the institutional question, this article focuses on procedure. Although class actions are…

Human beings vary in their responses to the drugs prescribed to them. These variations can be due to differences in their age, gender, weight, health status, diet, concurrent therapy and genetic make-up. Recently, it has been estimated that 85% of a patient's response to drugs is due to the genetic make-up of the individual (Snedden, 1999).…

Petroglyphs can help students confront the challenges of cross-cultural interpretation, the "perilous venture" the author and his students will face in their Native American Literature course. Cultural artifacts, carved in rock or printed on paper, are a part of particular discursive systems. In this article, the author wants his…

Models are often used when teaching science. In this paper historical models and students' ideas about genetics are compared. The historical development of the scientific idea of the gene and its function is described and categorized into five historical models of gene function. Differences and similarities between these historical models are made…

A major problem for developmental science is understanding how the cognitive and emotional networks important in carrying out mental processes can be related to individual differences. The last five years have seen major advances in establishing links between alleles of specific genes and the neural networks underlying aspects of attention. These…

Probability is an essential tool for understanding heredity and modern genetics, yet many students have difficulty with this topic due to the abstract and quantitative nature of the subject. To facilitate student learning of probability in genetics, we have developed a set of hands-on, cooperative activities that allow students to determine…

A simple, rapid method for generating complex genetic profiles using Alu-based markers was recently developed for students primarily at the undergraduate level to learn more about forensics and paternity analysis. On the basis of the Cold Spring Harbor Allele Server, which provides an excellent tool for analyzing a single Alu variant, we present a…

Automatic test generating system in distributed computing context is one of the most important links in on-line evaluation system. Although the issue has been argued long since, there is not a perfect solution to it so far. This paper proposed an innovative approach to successfully addressing such issue by the seamless integration of genetic…

Until recently, the dominant view was that schizophrenia patients have limited, if any, neuropsychological impairments, and those that are observed are only secondary to the florid symptoms of the disorder. This view has dramatically changed. This review integrates recent evidence demonstrating the severity and profile of neuropsychological…

Individuals with the rare genetic disorder, Williams syndrome, have an unusual cognitive profile with relatively good language abilities but poor non-verbal and spatial skills. This study explored the interaction between linguistic and spatial functioning in Williams syndrome by investigating individuals' comprehension of spatial language. A group…

The Children-of-Twins design was used to test whether associations between marital conflict frequency and conduct problems can be replicated within the children of discordant twin pairs. A sample of 2,051 children (age 14-39 years) of 1,045 twins was used to estimate the genetic and environmental influences on marital conflict and determine…

Imitation, vocabulary, pretend play, and socially insightful behavior were investigated in 5,206 same- and opposite-sex 2-year-old twin pairs in the United Kingdom. Individual differences in imitative ability were due to modest heritability (30%), while environmental factors shared between twins (42%) and unique to each twin (28%) also made…

Background: Twin studies of childhood behavior problems support the conclusion that individual differences in impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention are largely due to genetic influences. Non-genetic variation is due to environmental influences that are unique to the individual, and possibly to rater contrast effects. In the present…

The forensic use of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) is demonstrating significant success as a crime-solving tool. However, numerous concerns have been raised regarding the potential for DNA use to contravene cultural, ethical, and legal codes. In this article the expectations and level of knowledge of the New Zealand public of the DNA data-bank and…

Introduction: The present study reports cross-cultural comparisons of body mass index (BMI) and growth in Prader-Willi syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with obesity, growth restriction and mild learning disability. Our objectives were to: (1) compare rates of obesity in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) in France, with data…