Missing compared to what? Revisiting heritability, genes and culture

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Genetics
• Human cultural evolution

Background:

• Modern evolutionary synthesis (MES) models, developed mid-20th century, underpin current genetic research on phenotypes.
• These models rely on Mendelian genetics and Fisherian views of gene-phenotype relationships.
• Statistical variance analysis is a primary tool within the MES framework for assessing genetic inheritance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of cultural inheritance on phenotype determination models.
• To demonstrate how incorporating non-genetic transmission alters estimates of genetic contributions.
• To highlight the necessity of considering cultural factors in human trait evolution.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical analysis of phenotype determination models.
• Comparative assessment of models with and without cultural inheritance.
• Review of statistical approaches within the MES framework.

Main Results:

• Cultural inheritance substantially decreases estimated genetic contributions to phenotypes.
• Non-genetic transmission plays a significant role in shaping human traits.
• Overemphasis on genetic factors can lead to flawed conclusions about complex human phenotypes.

Conclusions:

• Phenotype determination models must integrate cultural inheritance for accurate genetic estimates.
• Recognizing non-genetic transmission is vital to prevent regression to 1970s/80s genetic determinism debates.
• Interdisciplinary approaches are essential for understanding human cultural evolution and trait inheritance.