***** Vol.3 Chap.4 Debate in the research meeting *****
As Frank was heading back to his office, he distinctly recalled what happened in the research meeting three weeks ago with Margaret and JB.
Their research was at a standstill and the team was at a total loss, baffled by the lack of success in coming up with a model to identify persons with aggressive behavior based on the genetic information on a particular chromosome. The three of them gathered in Frank’s office for a brainstorming session.
“There’s got to be some differences between those with violent tendencies and those without,” said Margaret, “and it had to be in chromosome 22. All the literature supported that conclusion…”
“But there is nothing there!” JB retorted back, being quite frustrated.
“Well, maybe there is something missing with the program?” inquired Margaret calmly.
“There is nothing wrong with my program!” JB was getting defensive.
“Are you sure?”
“I checked the program and reran the program three times.”
“Hey guys, perhaps we are looking at the wrong place,” said Frank.
“Garbage in garbage out,” countered JB.
“We eliminated the similarities in genetic coding in siblings with and without violent tendencies, so the difference in observed behavior has to be based on what is different,” replied Margaret.
“If the program is correct. I have no reason to think that it is not…” Frank came to the rescue.
“Yeah!” interrupted JB.
“If we cannot find anything, and Margaret, you said that we are looking at the right gene, then the answer must be somewhere. It is just that we are not looking at the right thing or the right place. Team, let’s brainstorm a little again. Where and how would the observed behavior be carried in the genetic code?”
At least somebody had a cool head. Margaret thought.
At least somebody believed me. JB mumbled to herself.
“It must be in the random part. We are just not looking at the right place,” said JB. Frank noticed that JB kept scribbling in her logbook.
“We are looking at the raw DNA coding in chromosome 22. The actual expression of the DNA depends on many factors and many other parts of the DNA…” Margaret said, citing some recent literature.
“Ah ha! Does that mean that the expression depends on multiple locations in the DNA?” asked Frank as if a stroke of genius struck him.
He was shooting off ideas like a freight train. Of course, as a leader of the team, that was his job to challenge the team and to provide inspirations for the team.
“Hmm. JB, can we set the computer program to look for all suspected DNA sequences, not just chromosome 22?”
“Sure.”
“That may be a better way,” Margaret nodded her head.
“Good. JB, reprogram the computer with this new direction.”
That was a good brainstorming meeting. Frank was pleased with the suggestions and the new directions.
Frank rounded the corner leading to his office. Margaret and JB were already waiting at the door.
Margaret was standing near the door trying to read a recent issue of the Journal of Genetics she just received that day. Thumbing through the journal looking for any interesting articles that caught her eye. JB, as expected, was pacing back and forth, hanging on clumsily to her stack of computer printouts, preventing them from scattering all over the floor.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Hi, Margaret, JB. Thanks for waiting. Did anyone order pizzas? It has been a long day and I am famished.” Frank waited. “Guess not. Great, what would you all like? Supreme as usual?”
He asked as he fumbled around for his keys and opened the door. As soon as the door was half opened, they piled in. He picked up the telephone and ordered two large pizzas with everything on top. He knew JB loved to eat.
“OK, JB. What was so exciting this time? Margaret and I are all ears. And don’t forget; please speak in layperson’s terms, not techies’ gobbledygook.”
JB took the time to explain the new model generated by her program. She explained that by comparing the DNA material of violent inmates with their docile siblings, she could eliminate the similar parts of the DNA sequences. So, she directed the generative AI program she wrote to concentrate not just on chromosome 22 but on all the rest of the DNA sequences that differed between siblings. Surprisingly, the program produced a good predictive model.
“What is the significance of this new model?” Margaret asked.
“I now have a workable model that can scan multiple DNA sequences and predict those persons with aggressive tendencies.” A bold claim from JB.
“Wow.” Margaret sat back and was dumbfounded.
“What is the success rate?” Frank asked.
“The prediction is about 60% correct.”
“Better than 50-50.” Margaret chimed in.
“Can that be improved?” Frank was not satisfied.
“I hope so. That should not be difficult.”
“Great. Let’s put that to the test. This has been a very productive meeting.” Frank was pleased with the research results.
“More pizza, anyone?”
Frank looked at Margaret and JB and they were both shaking their heads.
“Before we disband, I would like some feedback about today’s doctoral defense. Margaret, you were there this afternoon. When Mark added a mutation to simulate evolution, the results were surprising. In every case that he tried, when the food became scarce, the creatures would turn on one another and only the dominant clique survived to the extinction of the rest.”
A slight pause.
“We did not report that result, because it was too troubling for me.”
Frank was bothered and annoyed at the same time.
He continued, “But old Leon from the Philosophy Department kept needling Mark about aggression. So, I stepped in and broke up the fight. Now that we are all friends here, I would very much like your educated or uneducated, biased or unbiased opinions. JB, you were there at the talk and I know you are quite familiar with Mark’s work since you have helped him somewhat in the past as well. What do you think?”
“Mark did a remarkable job.”
“He did. I am more interested in your reaction to Leon’s questions. Basically, the computer experiments seemed to support that the instinct for survival eventually bred aggression.”
“That is predictable and inevitable. Since survival is the most important thing in the creature’s life. Only those mutations that generate traits to prolong life would be deemed valuable and hence got passed on from generation to generation.” JB said as-a-matter-of-factly.
“Is survival all there is to it?” asked Frank.
“Survival is all there is for the creatures,” answered JB definitively.
“Margaret? What about you?” asked Frank.
“I don’t believe in any of these. For heaven’s sake, these are artificial creatures; they are not real.”
“Good point, but can we not learn anything from them at all? After all, would our behavior be similar? Different?”
“Perhaps, but I prefer to consider that there are more important things here than just survival. What about intellectual pursuit, or morality, or religious fervor that we value so much in our lives? I hope we are many, many times more complex than Mark’s creatures.”
“You said morality. Is that a learned trait or a predefined trait? Better still, is that an evolved trait?” Frank was pressing her hard on this point.
“I feel we are basically wired for moral behavior. People turned immoral because of extraordinary circumstances.”
Margaret always looked on the bright side.
“So, morality is an innate trait. I agree with you,” continued Frank.
“It may start off that way, but our experience would certainly change our perspectives as time goes on.”
“Granted.”
“There was cooperation when the food supply is plenty. But aggression is inevitable when food is scarce.” JB interjected conclusively.
“Are you assuming that homo sapiens are basically evil?” Margaret shot back.
“My oriental friends would disagree with you. Many of them feel strongly that we are good and moral to begin life with.” Frank tried to mollify the situation.
“Perhaps, but I see evil every day in society than altruism. Just look at the daily newspaper!”
“Well, to me, deep down, there is more ‘good’ than ‘evil’ in every human being.”
“According to you,” JB Said sourly.
“Well, is immorality an evolved trait, then?” asked Frank, who was finally getting down to what he wanted to ask.
“I don’t think so,” Margaret replied instantly, without thinking. “Immorality or lack of ethics is an evolved trait. Only higher consciousness from learned experiences could suppress this innate immorality.”
“Interesting idea. Do you think you can prove it?” asked Frank.
“This is totally crazy,” added Margaret.
“Well, JB, maybe you can find the answer in the dataset.”
“I might be.”
“I doubted.”
It was getting late.
“Thanks, team. This was a good research meeting today. Very productive. Shall we meet again next week?”
“Sure.” Margaret waved her hand and left to go home.
“No problem.”
Following Margaret out of the office, JB also picked up her pile of computer printouts and headed straight to her office. There would be a few sleepless nights in the laboratory again.