Sunday, April 24, 2011
Artistic Abilities Triggered by "Genetic Changes"
Though this article wasn't extremely current (2003), it was interesting. My professor brought up the possibility of things other than physical traits being genetically linked. She mentioned that her grandfather had been an engineer and her son became one as well. She said that they had never met and she doubted that her son even knew what his great-grandfather had done for a living. I started to think about other traits and if they might be genetically linked. Art runs in my family. My cousin and I both enjoy painting and drawing (he actually went to school for art) and, before the tremors started, my uncle was a very talented painter. Could artistic ability be genetically linked? I didn't find anything about that, but according to Professor Richard Klein, Professor of Anthropological Studies at Stanford, the explosion of art and culture that occurred in humans between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago was due to a "genetic mutation". Evidence in support of this theory cites FOXP2, the first gene proved to affect the ability to learn and process language. So according to this guy, our language abilities as a species reflect our artistic abilities (i.e. making and wearing jewelry and drawing cave paintings, etc.). Art is a form of communication so this makes sense.
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It is interesting to know that there is actually a genetic link to artistic ability, or a loose link to it. The FOXP2, that effects the ability to learn and process language which for some reason is correlated to artistic ability, probably effects family members who inherit the gene differently. In my family my mother and father are both very artistic in there own ways. My mother paints and draws, my father builds props and models. They had four kids my two brothers my sister and myself. Me, my older brother and younger sister were blessed with artistic talent while my little brother can barely draw a stick figure. Is this a dominant form of inheritance or merely and environmental phenomenon?
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