Category: tools
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#T03 Beware the “either or” of binary thinking
Learning to understand the world From our earliest days, we try to make sense of the world by dividing it up into categories: me/not me, safe/not safe/, dog/mum and so on. These are called “binary” categories, because everything has to fit into one of the two choices. “Would you like tea or coffee?” forces you…
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#T02 Genes are generalists
The fascination of twins The 1980s were the golden age for twin studies. Identical twins share the same DNA, because they come from the same single fertilised egg. Some pairs of twins were (sadly) separated at birth to be adopted into different families. Many did not know they were twins until they were adults. Separated…
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#T01 Geneticists usually study differences between people
Vivre la différence! I remember my professor saying that the science of genetics would not exist if all humans had the same genetic information. These days, we measure genetic information in terms of the pairs of bases that make up the double stranded DNA molecules. What is DNA and why does it matter? DNA is…
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Tools for clear thinking
One of the thinkers that has had the biggest effect on me was Conrad H. Waddington. Waddington died in 1975, a few months after his “Evolution of an evolutionist” was published. I remember picking it up at school and starting to read the opening chapter and not understanding a word of it. But I was…
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It’s boom time for genetics – is that good for us?
It’s boom time for consumer genetic testing with the whole world and her dog getting it done. If it’s only a bit of fun, where is the harm in that? The reach of genetics is expanding and its influence is powerful. It is already established in our health and medical wellbeing. Whatever will be…
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About this blog
This is the blog of Neil Ingram and reflects a variety of my interests over the years. As a biology teacher, university academic, examiner and author. I have been deeply interested in the use of IT in schools when Windows 3.0 came out in May 1990. About ten years ago, I was invited to be…