Written in Our DNA: The Fate, Prophecy, and Calvinism of Genetics

Li Tianyi

09 Feb 2025 — 2 min read

"We’ve discovered the secret of life" Francis Crick, 28/2/1953

Do you believes in Calvinism or fatalism? What if I told you that our fate is written in our genes? Today's topic will give you a glimpse of the beauty and greatness of genetics.

First of all, I would like to introduce a rare disease to you, named Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome. The major features include a characteristic facial appearance, delayed growth and development, intellectual disability, low muscle tone (hypotonia), and seizures.

Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome (Reference: https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-wolf-hirschhorn-syndrome-2860304)

This disease is caused by a missing of gene on our chromosome 4, which is a repetition of CAG. A mutated version of this gene causes Huntington’s chorea, and a complete lack of the gene causes Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. However, it is no exaggeration to say that "Your destiny, your sanity and your life hang by the thread of this repetition."

Geneticists have found that the number of repetition of CAG is closely related to your health. If the CAG sequence repeat thirty-five times or fewer, you will be fine. You will be a normal, healthy person (if there is no any other detrimental mutation on your genes). If it repeated thirty-nine time or more, you will slowly lose your balance in midlife, steadily more incapable of looking after yourself and die prematurely. If you have thirty-nine CAG, you are likely to have dementia at age seventy-five. If you have forty CAG, average succumb at fifty-nine; and forty-one CAG, at age forty-four.

In <Genome> written by Matt Ridley, he commented " No horoscope matches this accuracy. No theory of human causality, Freudian, Marxist, Christian or animist, has ever been so precise. We are dealing here with a prophecy of terrifying, cruel and incredible truth."

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome is incurable and this rule of number of CAG repetitions is always true. The age that madness appears depends strictly and implacable the number of repetitions of CAG in one place of one gene. It does not matter if you smoke or take vitamin pills, or you work out every day or any current medical technology. This is a very 'calvinism' theory. However, genetic is a complex subject and it's not as simple as this. Our genes’ writing of destiny goes far beyond this. If you want to learn more about the beauty and complexity of genetics, feel free to subscribe and stay up to date for future blogs!

Reference

GARD. (2017). Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome | Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD) – an NCATS Program. Nih.gov. https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/7896/wolf-hirschhorn-syndrome

Ridley, M. (2010). Genome : the autobiography of a species in 23 chapters. Mjf Books. (Original work published 1999)

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