While antismoking campaigns which focus on teens may be useful, an important aim is to determine the ways in which these specific genes influence progression to begin smoking, and to further evaluate whether medications currently on the market which reduce cigarette cravings have any influence on these high risk genes.

FORBES: Genetic Factors Linked to Smoking Addiction in Teens

Traditional methods of estimating the influence of genes and the environment on intelligence have largely been limited to comparisons between people who are related, such as identical or fraternal twins.

WSJ: Intelligence Changes Linked to Genes

Dr Breslin and his colleagues want to find out how genes influence human perception, particularly the senses of smell and taste and those (warmth, cold, pain, tingle, itch and so on) that result from stimulation of the skin.

ECONOMIST: Twin research

They investigated genes previously known to influence the differences in hair colour.

BBC: Hair colour predicted from genes

In my book "Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain, " I discuss how genes and environments work together to influence how emotional circuits develop.

CNN: Make your 'rainy brain' sunnier

If we can identify genes which have a particularly prominent influence on obesity that would be useful, but it wouldn't necessarily make treatment any easier.

BBC: NEWS | Health | Gene that makes you eat too much

It has been known for some time that autism has a strong genetic influence - but up until now only eight or nine genes have been confirmed as playing a role.

BBC: Study identifies 'many more' autism genes

Some studies have shown that the effect can persist across generations, which means that genes that were not inherited from your great-grandparents could still be exerting an influence today.

ECONOMIST: Mice inherit more than just DNA