It is said that over 10 % of Americans are left handed an the same goes for other countries. Some researches say they are not exactly sure what causes people to be left or right handed , but Professor Armur form University of Nottingham and Dr. Davison of University College of London are suggesting that left handedness does not come from genes therefore isn't
inherited. This study used 2,000 set of twins from London Twin Research Unit. In this study researchers compared left and right handedness and looked at over 4,000 people and their genome and found no link to handedness and genes. There research in this article has challenged a previous study that said handedness was linked to a gene called PCSK6. Professor Armur and Dr. Davison believe that there should be a noticeable difference between right and left do to differences in genetic variation. At the end of their study they have determined that handedness is a mixture or a combination of genes, environment, and cultural pressure to conform.
I choose this article because I thought it was interesting and for the fact that the question of handedness was still left some what unanswered because even though the article ends with some ideas about what causes handedness I get the feeling that researchers still are not exactly sure on what the true causes for handedness are. I also found it interesting for the article to included that it could be pressure from people to conform to society that makes people be left or right handed. I have heard of people forcing or teaching their children to be right handed so I found it easy to correlate the information form this article to real life.
I've always found the topic of "handedness" to be interesting. It makes sense that is a mixture of reasons including the pressure to conform. Being left handed would be more difficult in everyday life than right handed especially if we think about it in a school setting. Desks at school are more often right handed making it more difficult to write and manipulate the already too small desk space provided. In grade school, left handed classmates were at a disadvantage when we learned how to cut using right handed scissors and how to write since techniques were more often geared towards the right handed population. It seems easier to just adapt and adjust to right handedness when our environment suggests that is the norm!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting concept! I always thought that you had a higher chance of being a "lefty" if one of your parents were left-handed. I would have never had guessed that the predominantly right-handed community is a result of environmental and cultural pressures. It is humorous because when I was younger, I did not want to be right-handed. I practiced writing with my left-hand with the hopes that one day I would become a "lefty". My dream faded and I stuck to my right-handedness. I guess I was an exception to the rule in this particular circumstance.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do question about the validity of this is one thing. When babies, ages 1-4, are starting to feed themselves and scribble with crayons, they pick up the utensil or crayon with whatever hand they feel comfortable with. At such a young age, these children do not feel the "pressure to conform" to the environment or the culture in which they reside. This is why I definitely think that there is a significant genetic component in determining left-handedness. However, I haven't spent time studying it like the individuals who conducted the study in this article have so I am not nearly as knowledgeable about the concept. Just a thought that I have! Great job!