My Genes Speak for Me. Reconciling Nature and Nurture

Description

Conceived with the help of a Nobel Prize-winning sperm donor, a baby girl blossoms into a gifted, highly intelligent woman. Does her talent come solely from heredity? What about the case of female twins, separated at birth, who exhibit astonishing similarities in habit and behavior when they meet later in life? This film explores the possibility that genetics and environment are not diametrically opposed when it comes to human development - instead, the program asserts, they should be seen as complementary. Other case studies involve fatal nutritional disorders that are passed from one generation to the next, as well as Tay-Sachs disease, the genetic disorder notorious for its impact on one particular ethnic group, the Ashkenazi Jewish community. A timely analysis of lingering, problematic assumptions - those that support genetic determinism and those that focus solely on parental or societal roles in shaping human life.

Runtime

45 min

Subjects

Genre

Date of Publication

[2013], c2007

Database

Films on Demand

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