ACX
Chip Off The Old Block
Scott reflects on having young children and how they've inherited specific traits, preferences, and quirks from both him and his wife in surprisingly precise ways.
27 min read 4,128 words
A thread through the archive
genetics
Essays tagged “genetics”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on genetics
58 essaysACX
How Natural Tradeoff And Failure Components?
Scott discusses how new schizophrenia genetics research confirms that psychiatric conditions combine both 'tradeoff' components (with compensating advantages) and 'failure' components (purely negative), then argues this pattern is common sense for any multifactorial problem.
6 min read 820 words
ACX
The Good News Is That One Side Has Definitively Won The Missing Heritability Debate
Scott examines a new genetic study on missing heritability that both hereditarians and nurturists claim vindicates their position, concluding that despite the study's advances, the fundamental debate over how heritable traits like IQ actually are remains unresolved.
13 min read 1,961 words
ACX
Links For October 2025
Scott Alexander presents 51 links covering AI progress and safety, political developments, scientific research, cultural oddities, and ongoing philosophical debates about miracles and education reform.
42 min read 6,423 words
ACX
Links For September 2025
Scott Alexander presents his monthly collection of interesting links and developments across technology, science, culture, and policy, with personal commentary on each item.
54 min read 8,283 words
ACX
In Defense Of The Amyloid Hypothesis
A guest post defending the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease, explaining why amyloid is likely the root cause despite recent criticism and discussing why early treatments have only been partially effective.
70 min read 10,813 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On Missing Heritability
Scott Alexander responds to comments and criticism on his earlier post about 'Missing Heritability', discussing issues like gene-environment interactions, sequencing technology limitations, and the use of polygenic scores across ancestry groups.
66 min read 10,199 words
ACX
Contra Skolnick On Schizophrenia Microbes
Scott Alexander refutes Stephen Skolnick's theory that schizophrenia is caused by gut microbes rather than genetics, showing why the evidence better supports schizophrenia being a complex genetic neurodevelopmental disorder.
11 min read 1,619 words
ACX
Missing Heritability: Much More Than You Wanted To Know
Scott explores the 'missing heritability' problem in genetics, where twin studies show traits like IQ and educational attainment are highly heritable but newer genomic methods find much lower heritability, analyzing various potential explanations for this discrepancy.
68 min read 10,491 words
ACX
Links For November 2024
A diverse collection of news items, studies, and interesting facts from November 2024, covering topics from scientific discoveries to cultural phenomena.
42 min read 6,373 words
ACX
Links for July 2024
Scott Alexander presents a diverse collection of 41 links and news items, covering topics from science and politics to history and technology, with brief commentaries and insights.
21 min read 3,173 words
ACX
Your Book Review: The Family That Couldn’t Sleep
A review of 'The Family That Couldn't Sleep' by D. T. Max, discussing its exploration of prion diseases and their impact, with updated perspectives on the book's conclusions.
72 min read 11,039 words
ACX
Nobody Can Make You Feel Genetically Inferior Without Your Consent
Scott Alexander discusses the concept of genetic and personal inferiority, arguing that while objective differences exist, framing comparisons in terms of inferiority is unproductive and potentially harmful.
9 min read 1,378 words
ACX
How Should We Think About Race And "Lived Experience"?
Scott Alexander analyzes the Elizabeth Hoover case to explore the complexities of racial identity, lived experience, and the ethics of cultural appropriation.
26 min read 3,958 words
ACX
Who Does Polygenic Selection Help?
Scott Alexander argues that using polygenic screening to select low-risk embryos can be considered as preventing genetic disorders, drawing parallels with other accepted preventive practices.
8 min read 1,185 words
ACX
Evolution Explains Polygenic Structure
Scott Alexander explores how evolutionary processes explain the polygenic structure of schizophrenia and other complex traits, addressing concerns about genetic research and implications for future genetic interventions.
7 min read 991 words
ACX
It's Fair To Describe Schizophrenia As Probably Mostly Genetic
Scott Alexander argues that schizophrenia should be described as predominantly genetic, addressing counterarguments and emphasizing the importance of this perspective for prevention strategies.
26 min read 3,908 words
ACX
Some Unintuitive Properties Of Polygenic Disorders
Scott Alexander uses simulations to explain why seemingly counterintuitive arguments against the genetic basis of schizophrenia are misleading.
11 min read 1,561 words
ACX
Why Do Transgender People Report Hypermobile Joints?
Scott Alexander investigates the unexpectedly high prevalence of joint hypermobility in transgender individuals, exploring various theories and presenting survey data on the phenomenon.
14 min read 2,112 words
ACX
Highlights From The Comments On Great Families
Scott summarizes reader comments on his 'Secrets of the Great Families' post, covering additional examples, statistical discussions, and personal perspectives on family achievement.
40 min read 6,147 words
ACX
Secrets Of The Great Families
Scott Alexander examines why certain families produce multiple generations of high achievers, exploring genetic, environmental, and psychological factors.
28 min read 4,297 words
ACX
Non-Cognitive Skills For Educational Attainment Suggest Benefits Of Mental Illness Genes
Scott Alexander examines a genetic study distinguishing cognitive and non-cognitive skills in educational attainment, revealing unexpected correlations with mental health conditions.
8 min read 1,173 words
ACX
Book Review: The Cult Of Smart
Scott Alexander reviews 'The Cult of Smart' by Freddie DeBoer, praising its main arguments while criticizing several aspects, particularly DeBoer's stance on education reform.
58 min read 8,989 words
ACX
Ontology Of Psychiatric Conditions: Tradeoffs And Failures
Scott Alexander examines whether psychiatric conditions result from evolutionary failures or tradeoffs, proposing that most disorders involve a combination of both.
29 min read 4,352 words
SSC
Assortative Mating And Autism
Scott Alexander analyzes survey data to investigate whether assortative mating among highly analytical people increases autism risk in their children, finding no significant evidence for this hypothesis.
8 min read 1,147 words