Nature vs. Nurture (Part Two)
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about studies that suggest the combination of a genetic predisposition towards violence, coupled with a bad home environment, is a toxic mixture t...
Serotonin
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about the chemical serotonin and the role it plays in the brain. As it turns out, harm avoidance is controlled by serotonin. Unfortunately, this c...
Harm Avoidance (Part Two)
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, expands on his discussion of harm avoidance, which he explains refers to a group of personality traits that includes depression, anxiety, feeling bad ab...
Mental Retardation and Genetics
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about the role genetics plays in many forms of mental retardation. In the case of PKU, a type of retardation that's caused by an enzyme deficiency...
Genetics and Aging
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about the link between genetics and aging. Dr. Hamer focuses on some of the more serious problems associated with age, in particular, Alzheimer's ...
Sexual Orientation and Genetics (Part Two)
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, expands on his discussion of sexual orientation and genetics. Dr. Hamer explains that work with identical twins has provided evidence that, at least in ...
Obesity and Genetics
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about the role of genetics in obesity. Dr. Hamer explains that, while the direct cause of obesity is eating too much, the tendency to overeat is, ...
Sexual Orientation and Genetics (Part Four)
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, explains that there are some inconsistencies in research data concerning the link between genetics and sexual orientation in men and similar data regard...
Sexual Orientation and Genetics (Part Three)
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, explains that while there does appear to be a genetic component to sexual orientation, the genetic component is not the only factor involved.
Age Happens: Increase in Life Expectancy
For years, scientific research on aging focused only on its negative aspects. But improved medical care and extensive public health programs have dramatically increased the average human lifespan. Aging and dying, like many aspects of our health, ar...