Original Post
Good example of environment by gene interaction. At this years Boston trauma conference, Stephen Soumi demonstrated that 1/4 of the rhesus monkey genome was differentially expressed in nurturing mother vs non-nurturing environments and genes thought to cause risk for violent behavior and alcoholism were expressed ONLY in non-nurturing environments. What's more is that genes thought to convey risk ie for alcoholism for example only did so in non-nurturing environments and intact provided protection in nurturing environments is if you were nurtured with the risk promoting gene you actually drank less and were less aggressive. Thus risk genes are only risky in non- nurturing environments and were protective in nurturing environments! This is why it is so important to promote positive parenting!!!