Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program

James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and the first director of the Human Genome Project, once asserted, "We used to think our fate was in our stars. Now we know, in large measure, our fate is in our genes." However, most scientists today argue that gene regulation and environmental factors contribute to our physical traits and behaviour. Are our genes really the whole story? The title of the proposed Café is "Are We Our Genes?" The Café will address the public's questions about the interplay between our genes and our environment in determining our health, characteristics, and behaviour.