A review of studies on mental retardation published in the Soviet Union between 1970 and 1980 touches on physical and neurological issues, genetic studies, learning and memory, and emotional factors. General conclusions drawn include that more males are retarded or emotionally disturbed than females. (CL)

Summarizes Arthur Jensen's theories on IQ, heritability, and Black intelligence and reviews some responses to Jensen. (JLF)

Presents some techniques developed to help improve student understanding of Mendelian principles through the use of a computer simulation model by the genetic system of the fruit fly. Includes discussion and evaluation of this computer assisted program. (MA)

Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominantly inherited disorder. No definitive method for the preclinical detection of carriers is known. The consequences of this diagnosis are discussed. The significance of genetic counseling and a description of the phases in psychological coping is presented to enable informed decision making by family…

Reports results from clinical interviews with 32 children on the topic of inherited characteristics. Results are discussed regarding differences in age and incorrect beliefs concerning environmentally produced traits. (CS)

Discussed is the potential of vestigial structures and unexpressed developmental patterns from an organism's natural history to provide for rapid morphological change based on small genetic change which may call these suppressed attributes back into action in modified form. (RE)

Lists informal definitions for 130 terms dealing with recombinant DNA research. (CS)

Discusses disease and genetic disorders as evolutionary mechanisms. Emphasizes the archeological evidence from past human populations and societies, mentioning albinism, scurvy, sleeping sickness, bone conditions, various host-parasite relationships, rickets, sickle-cell anemia, diabetes, and influenza. (CS)

Among the ethical problems in screening for severe spina bifida in a fetus are deciding who should be screened; whether the procedure, which has medical risks, is justified; and how to deal with the only known solution--abortion. Journal availability: see EC 114 865. (PHR)

Describes the methodological and statistical criteria neccessary for adequate measurement of organism-environment correlations and presents a path anaysis model as an approach to the study of these correlations. (BD)

Presents the views of the chairman of the group of scientists that prepared the preliminary proposal on DNA guidelines for the 1975 Asilomar Conference. Examples and illustrations are used to argue that stronger and tighter controls than those outlined in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines are needed. (CS)

Explains the use of a card lab to demonstrate how a population bottleneck impacts genetic diversity and the survival of a population. Uses a standard deck of playing cards to show how age structure can magnify bottleneck effects. (DDR)

Provides further details regarding a philosophical reconstruction of the structure of Classical Genetics Theory that can facilitate problem-solving instruction. Describes how that reconstruction can facilitate realistic problem solving on the part of students. Contains 60 references. (DDR)

Presents a hands-on activity on the phenomenon of genetic drift in populations that reinforces the random nature of drift and demonstrates the effect of the population size on the mean frequency of an allele over a few generations. Includes materials for the demonstration, procedures, and discussion topics. (KHR)