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E-book
Author Agin, D. P.

Title More than genes : what science can tell us about toxic chemicals, development, and the risk to our children / Dan Agin
Published Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, ©2010

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Description 1 online resource (x, 402 pages)
Contents The richness of our ignorance -- Pollution babies -- From one cell to a hundred trillion -- The fetal brain -- Life in utero : shaping or destruction? -- The endless fetal hangover -- Unborn days and sexuality -- Developmental brain disabilities -- Genes, the womb, and mental illness -- Much ado about IQ -- Culture, poverty, and fetal destruction
Summary "We are all shaped by our genetic inheritance and by the environment we live in. Indeed, the argument about which of these two forces, nature or nurture, predominates has been raging for decades. But what about our very first environment--the prenatal world where we exist for nine months between conception and birth and where we are more vulnerable than at any other point in our lives? In More Than Genes, Dan Agin marshals new scientific evidence to argue that the fetal environment can be just as crucial as genetic hard-wiring or even later environment in determining our intelligence and behavior. Stress during pregnancy, for example, puts women at far greater risk of bearing children prone to anxiety disorders. Nutritional deprivation during early fetal development may elevate the risk of late onset schizophrenia. And exposure to a whole host of environmental toxins--methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, pesticides, ionizing radiation, and most especially lead--as well as maternal use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or cocaine can have impacts ranging from mild cognitive impairment to ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, and other mental disorders. Agin argues as well that differences in IQ among racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups are far more attributable to higher levels of stress and chemical toxicity in inner cities--which seep into the prenatal environment and compromise the health of the fetus--than to genetic inheritance. The good news is that the prenatal environment is malleable, and Agin suggests that if we can abandon the naive idea of 'immaculate gestation, ' we can begin to protect fetal development properly. Cogently argued, thoroughly researched, and accessibly written, More Than Genes challenges many long-held assumptions and represents a huge step forward in our understanding of the origins of human intelligence and behavior"--Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-377) and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Prenatal influences.
Fetus -- Abnormalities -- Etiology
Embryonic Development -- drug effects
Embryonic Development -- genetics
Fetal Development -- drug effects
Fetal Development -- genetics
Maternal Exposure -- adverse effects
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects -- chemically induced
Prenatal Injuries -- chemically induced
HEALTH & FITNESS -- Pregnancy & Childbirth.
Fetus -- Abnormalities -- Etiology
Prenatal influences
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9780199700752
0199700753