The other day while I was at work, I had an interesting conversation with one of my co-workers. I passed by him as he was writing out a check to pay for a delivery, and he remarked that the check looked as if a kindergartener had written it. He went on to explain that the business check register is designed for use by right-handed people and since he is left-handed, he has trouble writing neatly on the checks. This random moment from my daily life got me thinking about left-handedness. Handedness is thought to be hereditary, although the exact mechanism … Continue reading →

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that has been mentioned quite a bit in the news lately, in the wake of the violence that recently took place in Arizona. While there is much that still needs to be discovered about the genetics behind schizophrenia, there are some things that are known. This is a mental illness that can, potentially, run in families. Genealogists who are making medical family trees should make note of any ancestors who suffered from schizophrenia. There are several symptoms that are connected with schizophrenia. Physical symptoms may include: a blank facial expression, involuntary movements of the face, … Continue reading →

You already know that your ancestors contributed to how you look. Did you know that they also might have contributed to how you act? This is the classic debate of nature vs. nurture. How much of who we are is determined by our ancestry, and how much is determined by our environment? The debate has been going on for a long time, and there is still no clear winner. I began to wonder about the impact of heredity on personality a couple of weeks ago. One day, I noticed that my son does the same thing that I do when … Continue reading →