Continuing Questions: What Genes Do Not Yet Explain About Human Individuality

Feb 8 2012
When: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Where: Harman Academy
Event Type: Polymathic Pizza

Event Details

While genes determine whether a fertilized egg will become a mouse or a man, there is a level of biological randomness that causes identical twins to differ even before birth. This levels of randomness helps understand the limited success of the human genome projects in finding gene differences that underlie most variation in cancer, heart disease, and longevity.

Speaker Information

Speaker

Caleb Finch

Caleb Finch is University Professor and ARCO/Keischnick Professor of Gerontology and Biological Science at USC. His major research interest is the study of genomic controls of mammalian development and aging. He has authored and edited numerous books and articles and held distinguished lectureships across the country. For this work, he has received most of the major awards in biomedical gerontology. In addition, he has recently co-authored a book for the general public, Aging: A Natural History.