HANDEDNESS

    Have you ever watched the performance of a full concert orchestra? Did you happen to notice the violin section? If you did, then you didn’t see any player using the bow with the left hand.  If one did so it would bump into the other violinists. This observation is not to say that there were no left-handed violinists. It simply indicates that there might be left-handed players who restrung their instruments to play in synch with all the right-handed players.  So, it appears as another example of the dominance of the right-handed world.

    A few days ago, I was watching the surgeon stitching a dermatalogical wound on my right arm and I noticed she was left-handed.  So, we struck up a conversation as I shared that I was left- handed too. I happened to mention that historically, being left-handed was not well received, particularly in the middle ages or, even before that time.  As a matter fact, left-handed in French was derived from the word Gauche, referring to inappropriate or odd.  She agreed and mentioned that in Latin the derivation of the word left is sinister, referring to unfavorable or evil.  So, we shared something in common.  As “lefties” we are in the minority population.

    Interestingly enough, studies indicate 70-95 percent of the world’s population is right handed suggesting about 10 percent are left-handed. I was curious to see the genetic basis of handedness and discovered it is very complex.  Although, there has been research no evidence has been obtained to explain a genetic locus.

    I am confident you are aware that maybe you, your friends or relatives recall instances where a parent noticed a young child had a tendency to be left-handed, only to be influenced to learn to be right-handed which had dire effects on one’s development. There are however, individuals who are ambidextrous and manage very well to deal with life’s expectations.

    Undoubtedly, it is still a right-handed world which continues to be a challenge to those of us who are lefties.  Nevertheless, I have found my way comfortably and I am confident we can address the right-handed can-opener.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE

    I have often wondered what our heredity is and how much of it has made us like we are. There is no doubt that both heredity and environment play a great part in helping us become the person we are today.  There have been so many advances in science that much interest has grown with new information about heredity.  I’m sure you have noticed the publicity that has arisen regarding ancestry and the popularity of searching about our family background and our heritage.  Take for example, what has been advertised on the internet, “Ancestry.com” and other similar sources to assist you in finding out about your family background through DNA testing.

    Well, before we get to that testing, it’s important to understand the concept of heredity which provides us the value of the DNA.   First of all, heredity is the biological process responsible for passing on physical traits from one generation to the next.  It’s the reason why offspring look like their parents.  It’s the likelihood that you might have blue eyes if they do.   This biological process was first used in the 1530s.  The noun heredity comes from the Latin word hereditatem, meaning “condition of being an heir”.

    DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, sometimes called the “molecule of life” is what makes you uniquely you!   It is the genetic code that determines all the characteristics of a living thing.  You and I got our DNA from our parents, which we call our “hereditary material” (information that is passed on to the next generation). You may be interested to know a genome, a gene and a chromosome are all structures of DNA.  A genome is an entire set of genes.

    Given all this above information, you can appreciate the value of DNA as it relates to various aspects of life such as medicine, forensics, and our curiosity regarding our heritage.  It seems that maybe wanting to know more about our family history can sometimes be very enlightening as well as comforting.  Yet, the point to be made is that the DNA we have is not easily modified.  So, in life we learn to adapt to the characteristics we inherit.