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 c..
Nature vs. Nurture (Part One)
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, takes a fresh look at the nature vs. nurture controversy. Dr. Hamer contends that personality consists of two different com..
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 envi..
Needle Exchange Programs (Part One) and (Part Two)
Dr. Alexandra Levine, Chief of the Division of Hematology at the USC School of Medicine, talks about needle exchange programs and notes that studies have proven they decrease the transmission of HIV.
Newborn Hearing Screening
Dr. Ed McCabe, Chief of the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, talks about a screening process that can identify children who have genetic deafness before they leave the newborn nursery.
Newborn Screening
Dr. Ed McCabe, Chief of the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, talks about the state of newborn screening in the United States. He notes that, at the time of his interview, all states screened for PKU (phenylketonuria) ..
Novelty Seekers
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about efforts to learn more about the role genetics plays in the personality trait that motivates novelty seeking (so..
Novelty Seekers: Negative Consequences
Dean Hamer, Director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the National Cancer Institute, talks about the potential for negative consequences among those who are genetically inclined to seek thrills. Some of these..
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,..
Physician-Assisted Death
Professor of Law and Medicine Alex Capron talks about ethical issues pertaining to physician-assisted death. He explains why he is opposed to it, arguing that what we should be doing instead is finding ways to make dying..