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The more that I looked at DNA, the more I realized it was nature and nurture. It's how genes and your environment work together to produce the person you are.

People think genes are an absolute cause of traits. But the notion that the genome is the blueprint for humanity is a very bad metaphor. If you think we're hard-wired and deterministic, there should indeed be a lot more genes.

From a scientist's perspective, to understand everything that you need to know about human beings, you only have to tinker with all the mechanical parts of genes and the brain until there are no more secrets left.

No one really has the guts to say it, but if we could make better human beings by knowing how to add genes, why shouldn't we?

It used to be thought that our genes were historically immutable and that it was not possible to imagine a conversation between culture and genetics.

Genetics play a huge part in who we are. But we also have free will.

We haven't been able yet to determine in terms of genes what makes a human being a human and not another mammal.

One of the most important aspects of what makes us who we are is neither straight genes or straight environment but actually what happens to us during development.

Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs.

We know that genes shape human cultures and human societies: The DNA we inherited from our ancestors makes certain foods taste better, affects the way we care for children, influences what colors we find vibrant, and contributes to our love of socializing, among other examples.