Coming to terms with heritability

Area of Science:

• Genetics and Evolutionary Biology
• Scientific Terminology and Communication

Background:

• Non-specialists often misunderstand complex heredity mechanisms.
• Technical terms with common folk meanings contribute to this misunderstanding.
• The term 'heritability' exemplifies this semantic confusion in genetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the dual meanings (technical vs. folk) of the term 'heritability'.
• To explore the communication challenges arising from the term 'heritability'.
• To propose an alternative term that avoids widespread misunderstanding.

Main Methods:

• Linguistic analysis of the term 'heritability'.
• Examination of the semantic bridge between technical and folk definitions.
• Comparative analysis of 'heritability' and potential alternative terms.

Main Results:

• The term 'heritability' possesses distinct technical and common interpretations.
• Continued use of 'heritability' risks perpetuating significant public misconceptions about heredity.
• A clear distinction between scientific and lay understanding is often lacking.

Conclusions:

• The term 'heritability' is problematic due to its ambiguous nature.
• Abandoning 'heritability' in favor of a term without folk connotations is recommended.
• The proposed alternative, 'selectability', aims to enhance clarity in discussions of heredity.