Describes advances made in the understanding of how sex hormones may modify various cognitive skills, how normal brain signaling mechanisms may cause nerve cell death, and how many cells appear to hold genetic agents which determine their own destruction. (RT)

Described is The McKusick Catalog of human genetics. This article discusses how biology instructors could make use of this reference and answers specific questions regarding its use. (CW)

Compares experts', advanced students', and novice students' use of genetics knowledge to generate and test hypotheses while solving genetic pedigree problems. Reports that experts identified more critical cues, tested more hypotheses, were more rigorous in the falsification of alternative hypotheses, and were more flexible to their solving…

Michael Levin argues that data from the study are consistent with a black/white IQ difference that is significantly genetic. Richard Lynn maintains that adoption by middle-class, white families has no effect on intelligence. Waldman, Weinberg, and Scarr respond to these criticisms and support the original conclusions. (SLD)

This editorial provides an informal review of "The Bell Curve" (Herrnstein and Murray, 1994). The book, packaged as scientific writing, is an attack on affirmative action and on government attempts to foster egalitarianism. It is a political treatise that assumes that racial differences in intelligence are valid and genetic. (SLD)

This paper presents Down's syndrome as a part of the human race's rich biological inheritance rather than a condition to be pitied. The history of the discovery of the biological basis of Down's syndrome is reviewed, along with attitudes toward individuals with Down's syndrome over time and developments in medicine and education. (JDD)

Genetic effects on specific cognitive abilities as distinct from those on general cognitive ability were studied in 302 pairs of twins (some reared together, some apart) from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging. Overall, results showed significant genetic influence on specific abilities independent of influence on general ability. (SLD)

Analyzes the properties of genetic sequences that cause the failure of classical algorithms used for data compression. A lossless algorithm, which compresses the information contained in DNA and RNA sequences by detecting regularities such as palindromes, is presented. This algorithm combines substitutional and statistical methods and appears to…

Prenatal diagnostic procedures that can determine the existence of genetic diseases or chromosome disorders such as Down's syndrome are described, and legal considerations are outlined. Arguments for and against aborting fetuses with Down's syndrome are presented, and the need for genetic counseling for prospective parents is emphasized.…

Describes the National Institute of Health's GenBank DNA sequence database and how it can be accessed through the Internet. A real reference question, which was answered successfully using the database, is reproduced to illustrate and elaborate on the potential of the Internet for information retrieval. (10 references) (KRN)

A man with mental retardation, in detention for five years because of sex offenses with preadolescent boys, was not only diagnosed as having Klinefelter syndrome when a social worker read suspected the possibility and arranged for a chromosome test. The importance of a complete medical work-up is emphasized in such cases. (JDD)

Compares the reading ability of children with dyslexic parents and/or older siblings to children with no family incidence of dyslexia. Finds that many children from dyslexic families developed reading problems by the end of second grade. Discusses implications of the results for etiological theories of dyslexia. (RS)

This laboratory provides an easy and rapid way to introduce students to some of the exciting principles of gene regulation by analyzing expression of the lac operon of Escherichia coli. (PR)

Describes a simulation exercise involving an imaginary organism in which students study the effect of predation on allele frequencies, examine the assumptions of the Hardy-Weinberg law, and consider whether the need to survive is a guiding force in evolution. Includes instruction for conducting the exercise. (MDH)

Explains how fur color in domestic cats can be used as the basis of a science laboratory activity to teach the Castle-Hardy-Weinberg Law. (PR)