From the Double Helix to CRISPR: Advances in Behavioral Genetics and Ethical Challenges

The article provides a historical overview of genetics from Mendel to DNA and genomics and finally to gene editing Cas9 enzymes and also describes the foundations of genetics starting with Mendel’s pea experiments, DNA and RNA structures and functions and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and their role in the genetic diversity of humans. The article continues with the description of the disruptive changes that Cas9 will be brought about by gene editing Cas9 enzymes in medicine, biotechnology and the behavior sciences. Specifically, it deals with heritability of personality, twin researches, genome-wide association studies and finally with the role of functional genomics and molecular genetics in advancing our knowledge of human and animal behavior and in the development of genomics-based personalized medicine and new psychological methods and techniques for boosting our mental performance, productivity and quality of our intelligence. The overall goal of the article is to provide an up-to-date background knowledge of genetics and its current developments and to describe its influence on our behavior, minds and personalities and the disruptive changes it will bring about in the behavior sciences and in our mental developments, thus calling for a dialogue among psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, medicine and genetics experts.