A Serendip exhibit

Genes, Brains, Behavior: A Work in Progress A newly evolving section of Serendip, focusing on the questions Who am I? Who are they? Why do I behave the way I do? Why do they? How did I/they get to be this way? What can I/they/we do about it? in the light of past and ongoing research on genetics, neuroscience, and behavior.

Like all things on Serendip, this section is committed to exploring the questions, rather presenting definitive answers. Exploration, though, always has to start somewhere. That somewhere is an ongoing conversation among three people

Mary Beth Davis	Paul Grobstein	Tony Kaney

who have worked and taught together at Bryn Mawr College and who share a common sense that two important principles are emerging from past and ongoing research in humans and other organisms:

• Virtually all behavior is influenced by genes.
• Virtually no behavior is determined by genes.

Over the next month or so, we will be putting together a series of exhibits describing the kinds of observations which seem to us to be leading to these two principles, and exploring their implications in a variety of contexts. We will also be preparing a set of resource lists that will allow you to explore your own interests in the questions that we've started with, and a weekly section highlighting current topics in the news that seem relevant. Finally, we will be creating a forum area, with the hope that you'll contribute your own questions and insights, and hence join us in a continuing conversation about, and exploration of, genes, brains, and behavior.