Just as I expected there are some who cant resist a violent outburst in response to my story. LOL
Rich-9.8 your answer to this one pretty much sums up what a lot of people have learned to be the truth about genes and how they work. My own experience shows that this cannot be the whole story. I recently finished reading a book by Bruce H. Lipton, Ph. D. called "The Biology of Belief" that I highly recommend - a fantastically entertaining read that represents some of the most up-to-date understandings on these subjects in easily accesible language. Here are a couple of relevant paragraphs from it:
Even Charles Darwin conceded, near the end of his life, that his evolutionary theory had shortchanged the role of the environment. In an 1867 letter to Moritz Wagnerhe wrote [Darwin, F 1888] "In my opinion, the greatest error that I have committed has been not allowing sufficient weight to the direct action of the environments, i.e. food, climate, etc., independantly of natural selection... When I wrote the "Origin", and for some years afterwards I could find little good evidence fo the direct action of the environment; now there is a large body of evidence."
Scientist who follow Darwin continue to make the same error. The problem with this underemphasis on the environment is that it led to an overemphasis on "nature" in the form of genetic determinism - the belief that genes "control" biology.
What activates genes?The answer was elegantly spelled out in 1990 in a paper entitled 'Metaphors and the Role of Genes and Development' by H. F. Nijhout. [Nijhout 1990] Nijhout presents evidence that the notion that genes control biology has been so fequently repeated for such a long period of time that scientists have forgotten that it is a hypotheses, not a truth. In reality, the idea that genes control biology is a supposition, which has never been proven and in fact has been undermined by the latest scientific research. Genetic control, argues Nijhout, has become a metaphor in our society. We want to believe that genetic engineers are the new medical magicians who can cure diseases and while they're at it create more Einsteins and Mozarts as well. But metaphor does not equate with scientific truth. Nijhout summarizes the truth: "When a gene product is needed, a signal from its environment, not an emergent property of the gene itself, activates expression of that gene."
Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.d. "The Biology of Belief" 2005 pp. 50; 51
Rich-9.8, thanks for providing the incentive to dig around and find out how true the belief is that it's 'tough titties'. Seems it aint after all! According to the latest evidence If you abuse your body with a 'crap' diet (as Mr db so proudly proclaims he does) you can no longer shirk the responsibility for the consequences by blaming your genes!
Mr Db, no doubt your body expresses your 'crap' diet in some other way than by balding...