...information can [and does] travel from the environment to the
organism and regulate gene expression. Genes do not determine
the properties of the organism; they contribute to them. They
are not the origin of organic characteristics, but they are
involved in their realization. (p. 133)So people don't
understand genes. No big surprise there. Morange shows that this
is the case on two fronts, however. First, the media (and some
scientists) have put forward that notion that there are genes
for _____. Morange dispels this notion by showing that "our
genes do not code for our behavior or our thoughts, but without
genes these behaviors and thoughts would not exist." (p. 163)
You may ask, "what's the difference?" and although the
difference is subtle, it is important. It means that a gene
isn't solely responsible, nor can manipulating a gene
necessarily fix a problem or provide a wanted characteristic.
The second misunderstanding is that we (and this includes
scientists) don't understand which genes can possibly d