In “The Genius in All of Us,” Shenk writes that “our brains and bodies are primed for plasticity; they were built for challenge and adaptation” (131). From this, it is obvious that the advantage in having such the power to “change [our] minds when faced with the data” is the ability to quickly adapt to the environment (131). Yet, just because we are faced with similar sets of data does not guarantee that we will all end up with similar products. As Patrick Bateson suggests, GxE is “like baking a cake…A hundred cooks may start out with nearly the same ingredients but will in the end produce very different cakes” (23). Thus, the notion of “hidden, undetectable differences” – especially Crabbe’s three city rat experiment (129) -- suggests that the environment has effect that is much more pronounced and evident than is explained by the idea that we adapt to what’s around us (130).
Relating the Relationship between Structure and Function and possibly Interdependence in Nature, provide specific examples in how it is more advantageous to have a plastic mind or body over a fixed mind or body. Next, providing evidence, contemplate on how a plastic mind is important in the GxE model and how it helps to disprove some of the old notions from the G+E model.
Some thought questions. (But you are free to answer them in your post.) There isn’t a correct answer:
A child who grows up immersed in a musical background is assumed to find and develop a love for music. Is this necessarily the case?
In the Crabbe’s three city rat experiment, the macroenvironment of where the rats were in the world was enough produce changes. Does this mean that no matter what the interaction of GxE, results will always be truly random? Or can we at least attempt to point someone in a certain direction?
Since the mind is plastic, how easily can it be moulded? That is, if someone held a certain skill, left it alone for several years, will the skill be retained or must the person learn the skill again?
The plasticity of the mind and body is definitely an advantage in comparison to a fixed mind and body. While a fixed mind and body goes along with the outdate G+E notion, the GxE notion comfortably fits with the idea of plasticity and the ability to grow based on the environment and genetic potential. The relationship between structure and function is soundly demonstrated in the human body in various systems. In the digestive system, it is seen that the stomach has “accordion-like folds and a very elastic wall, [and] it can strech to accommodate about 2 L of food and fluid” (Campbell 885). While the function of the stomach is to mainly store food, it is evident that the stomach accommodates the amount of food being consumed, as seen in cases of obesity. Because the stomach is literally able to change size over time depending on the intake of food, this is a physical example of the plasticity of the human body changing form to match function. For example, since the stomach succumbs to fit the shape of the amount of food eaten, people with obesity would soon be able to “qualify for surgery to implant a small, flexible stomach band designed to help them lose weight by dramatically limiting their food intake” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/04/fda-we-should-expand-use-_n_792028.html). With such a band, humans would be trying to tamper with the actual structure and function relationship. Another such pathway that exhibits structure and function is the circulatory system. While the heart does not physically alter its shape to fit the function, it increases or decreases the rate of nutrient and oxygen flow to the tissues depending on the amount of energy expenditure. For example, if the heart rate increases while exercising, that means the heart is working faster to deliver vital nutrients to the capillaries of the body and lungs in order to circulate these nutrients fast enough to meet the energy demands of the body. Similarly, if heart rate is low during rest, this would mean that the heart does not need to circulate nutrients and oxygen to the blood as quickly because of the low energy expenditure by the body.
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Aside from an elastic body, an elastic mind also illustrates a clear relationship between structure and function because “[humans] are special…not [because] they are born so intelligent but that they are designed to change their minds when faced with the data” (Shenk 131). In the brain, there are cells called Glia cells which “hold the brain’s neurons together and protect the cells that determine our thoughts and behaviors” (http://scicasts.com/lifesciences/1874-bioresearch-disease-studies/3954-brains-connective-cells-regulate-learning-and-memory). While these cells are central to the function of the brain, which is to store information and build memory, they are also “central to the brain’s plasticity-how the brain adapts, learns, and stores information” (http://scicasts.com/lifesciences/1874-bioresearch-disease-studies/3954-brains-connective-cells-regulate-learning-and-memory). Evidently, the brain does, in fact, mold itself due to the amount of information being presented. Humans are clearly learning every day, and by having an elastic mind, the mind is able to grow and fit the new information being presented daily. Having a plastic mind and body relates to GxE because of the fact the environment plays such a crucial role in the development of the body, and “genes express themselves strictly in accordance with their environment” (Shenk 21). Going back to the digestive system: if a person were to be malnourished and not have a sufficient supply of food, then it is likely that their stomach will be smaller than that of a person who is able to consume more. Referring back to the circulatory system, if one has strenuous physical exercise embedded in their daily schedule, it is likely that their heart is more efficient than, say, a couch potato. If humans had a fixed mind and body, as accordance with the G+E model, then every part of the human body would be strictly determined, and that would result in every human’s structure to be the same. However, this is false because while the functions remain the same, the environments differ significantly, and have a significant impact on the mind and body, therefore, plasticity goes hand-in-hand with GxE.
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