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UID:1073-96@www.leopoldina.org
CLASS: PUBLIC
SUMMARY:Annual Assembly of the Leopoldina 2013\n\n"Mind, brain, genome and 
 society"
DESCRIPTION:We are on the verge of a new image of ourselves, an image depic
 ting the future, which is only currently possible along general lines that 
 are indeed quite vague. Whilst still discussing to what extent the mind and
  brain are two sides to the same coin, genetic explanatory models begin to 
 emerge trying to shed light on mental characteristics with genotypic factor
 s by taking a short detour through the brain. At the same time, epigenetics
  show how social events change the selection of the genes truly made use of
  within an organism. Ultimately, epigenetics therefore describe one of the 
 many paths with which social factors, assuming the form of synaptic weights
 , become part of our way of thinking and our actions. However, how does the
  outcome of a given individual result from the interrelated structure of mi
 nd, brain, genome and society?The individual architecture of cognition, aff
 ect, and actions cannot be derived from neurobiology nor from cultural fact
 ors alone. The human mind is much more an outcome resulting from the interp
 lay between the brain and society. We have become accustomed to this dual p
 rocess of interaction. Now, we have to incorporate genetic factors into thi
 s interrelated structure that are rapidly creating new findings, but also g
 iving rise to entirely new questions. We know the sequence of the human gen
 ome with its over three billion base pairs, but are familiar with the genom
 e of yeast and many other organisms as well. Today, we are capable of repla
 cing a yeast gene with a human one; the yeast is able to survive with it. W
 e can provide organisms with new characteristics, such as protecting maize 
 from pests or increasing the efficiency of cellulose-based fuel production 
 (E10). We begin to understand genetic diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral
  sclerosis (ALS) and Huntington’s disease, and can assess genetic risk fact
 ors for various forms of cancer. For less than a thousand euros, access to 
 our own specific base sequences is possible for many people. We can detect 
 the genes of our potential offspring, but should we be allowed to select th
 ese genes under certain boundary conditions? Should we allow exceptions, fo
 r example to eradicate certain genetic diseases? And how do we handle this 
 discussion once we have deciphered the genetic mechanisms related to psycho
 logical predispositions?In the meantime, the triad of mind, brain and genom
 e has to be broadened to include epigenetics, which are again placing a str
 onger focus upon social factors. The first analyses performed on humans pro
 ve what we have known for decades from epigenetic research on animals: The 
 selection of actual genes during the expression process is altered by our e
 nvironment and already determined inside the mother’s womb from the very be
 ginning. For instance, we can determine the probability that the mother of 
 a 10-year old had been subject to continued violence during her pregnancy .
  Then namely, from the same genome, a different person come to being with a
  different stress axis, a different brain structure and different sense of 
 mind. It is especially in the neural area that gene expression is modulated
  by psychosocial conditions. In this way, we are physically altering our br
 ains and those of following generations by changing the environment. Are we
  aware of the consequences? This set of four factors "mind, brain, genome a
 nd society" create problems and possibilities, the scope of which we are cu
 rrently capable of only having a vague impression. However, at its heart, t
 his set of factors accompanied by new findings poses one of humanity’s elde
 st questions: How did I become the person I am?\n\nFurther Information\n\nP
 rogramme and Abstracts of the lectures\n\nThinking, Fast and Slow - Evening
  lecture of Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman\n\n„Arm anhexen“ – welche Illusi
 onen schafft das Gehirn? (Video on YouTube, German)\n\nNotice\n\nThe Annual
  Assembly is open to registered participants only. Registration is closed.
LOCATION:Halle (Saale)
DTSTAMP:20251112T170935Z
DTSTART:20130919T220000Z
DTEND:20130921T220000Z
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