Examination of children's talent genes in China

Experts say that the "talent gene" test for young children of Chinese parents has no scientific basis.

Parents in China are raising a movement to take their children to " health institutes" to sample saliva to check how the "genetically talented" child is, according to the Telegraph. This genetic test, which costs hundreds of dollars, is thought to be able to reveal the child's aptitude, intelligence, emotional ability, ability to concentrate, and parents to guide the child in the future.

However, many experts and scientists claim that this "genome" test method is not scientifically grounded , and concerns about the right to self-determine the future destiny of children.

Dang, director of the "Health Institute" Martime Gene in Shandong Province, China, said the company's geneticists will compare the genetic test results of children with genetic data of talented people in the bank. rows of national genes to find similarities, revealing the "natural talent " of children.

A boy was given saliva samples to test for genetic talent.(Photo: 1Gene).

"If a child has a gene similar to that of a talented person, we can say that the child has those talents," Dang said, citing the case that a notified boy has a singing talent. is a student of actor and singer Co Cu Co, one of the most famous artists in Asia.

However, Chang Zisong, an expert in genealogy at Tianjin International Institute of Biomedical Sciences, said that future predictions of this talent are not scientifically meaningful.

Mike McNamee, professor of Applied Ethics at Swansea University, said that only "stupid" people believe in predicting talent through genetic testing and betting their children 's future there. .

Yannis Pitsilandis, a biologist at Glasgow University, thinks that we cannot rely on a certain genetic pattern to determine one's ability, because "talent" is determined by many factors, no Only based on the genome.

Until now, scientists have not really determined what genes are responsible for the ability of mathematics or music of humans. According to a study by University of Michigan psychologist David Hambrick, genes somehow affect a person's ability to perceive music, but their passion for training determines whether or not that person becomes a genius musician. is not.

"Finding talent through genetic testing is just an exaggeration of belief in the power of genetic technology to serve commercial purposes," McNamee said. "If parents want to know if their child will be a talented athlete or an artist, keep an eye on them."