Do these genes make me lonely? Study finds loneliness is a heritable trait

Loneliness is linked to poor physical and mental health, and is an even more accurate predictor of early death than obesity. To better understand who is at risk, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine conducted the first genome-wide association study for loneliness — as a life-long trait, not a temporary state. They discovered that risk for …

Jonathan Pettitt – Sci-fi still influences how society thinks about genes—it’s time we caught up

We used to think that our fate was in the stars. Now we know in large measure, our fate is in our genes. When the Nobel laureate and co-discoverer of the DNA double helix James Watson made his famous statement in 1989, he was implying that access to a person’s genetic code allows you to predict the outcome of their life. The troubling implications …

Swedish teachers and students often talk about religion as something outdated and strange

In Swedish classrooms, religion is often associated with an obsolete time when people just didn’t know better – as if religion used to serve a purpose but there is no need for it in the modern world. This is the conclusion of a doctoral thesis from the University of Gothenburg that explores how teachers and students talk about religion and …