The idea that these and some 30 other behaviour patterns are cultural rather than genetic was supported by the fact that particular sub-species (which differ from one another genetically) are not associated with particular behaviours.
Rather than "genetic" changes that are locked into DNA, these are known as "epigenetic" changes.
Souped-up hybrid crops, such as maize, bred through conventional techniques rather than high-tech genetic engineering, do not keep their desired properties from one generation to the next because of natural genetic shuffling.
Finally, a specialist at University of California, Los Angeles said it would be faster and less expensive to do large-scale genetic sequencing rather than testing for conditions one by one.
This means that rather than looking for changes in the genetic material, one can look for changes in the proteins.
As 11 of the 24 men with prostate cancer had died, the authors suggest that early radical treatment for the disease might be offered to men who carry the genetic mutation, rather than watchful waiting, which is common policy.
Oncologists will be able to take a single tumor cell from a cancer patient and determine within minutes or hours which aberrant genes are responsible for the cancer's growth, allowing them to customize therapy to the patient's particular genetic quirks, rather than having to guess which drugs might work best.
The British Health Secretary Alan Milburn said the current system of control through licences needed to be strengthened by law "to ensure that genetic advances are used for good rather than for evil".
Dr Cohas's genetic analyses have shown that it is wanderers, rather than nest mates or neighbours, that females play away with.
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Not all experts believe that genetic modification is the way forward - some point out that rather than enhancing the protein content of potatoes, the government could simply ensure the availability of foods which are already rich in protein, such as pulses.
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