>understandings of genes as immutable features of biology that are fixed at conception
This 'understanding' has been known to be wrong for 30+ years now. Rearrangements, microchimerism, epigenetics, chromosome organization etc. are all things that exist and modulate information transfer beyond the standard four letters or the 'environment' (whatever people think it means) and we're still only scratching the surface. I keep saying it and I'll say it again: DNA is not source code, your genes are not initial character stats in a video game. That's not how any of this works and it frustrates me whenever I read otherwise smart people making arguments that rely on premises originating from a high schooler's (or 1970's) understanding of genetics. It's even worse when the dreaded 'nature/nuture' gets mentioned.
This 'understanding' has been known to be wrong for 30+ years now. Rearrangements, microchimerism, epigenetics, chromosome organization etc. are all things that exist and modulate information transfer beyond the standard four letters or the 'environment' (whatever people think it means) and we're still only scratching the surface. I keep saying it and I'll say it again: DNA is not source code, your genes are not initial character stats in a video game. That's not how any of this works and it frustrates me whenever I read otherwise smart people making arguments that rely on premises originating from a high schooler's (or 1970's) understanding of genetics. It's even worse when the dreaded 'nature/nuture' gets mentioned.