Common Misunderstandings of Genetics

Common Misunderstandings Of Genetics

During the latter half of the 20th century, the fields of genetics and molecular biology matured greatly, significantly increasing understanding of biological heredity. As with other complex and evolving fields of knowledge, the public awareness of these advances has primarily been through the mass media, and a number of common misunderstandings of genetics have arisen. Common misunderstandings include the following ideas:

1. Every aspect of the biology of an organism can be predicted from its genes
2. Single genes code for specific anatomical or behavioural features
3. Genes are a blueprint of an organism's form and behaviour
4. Genes are uninterrupted sections of DNA that only code for a single protein