An expert has said that someone's DNA is not their "destiny" but rather an instruction manual for who they are.
Geneticist and ancient DNA specialist Professor Turi King, known for leading the identification of King Richard III's remains, emphasised the complexity of human identity as a blend of genetics and environment. Dr King said: "Our DNA is not generally our destiny."
“It’s like an instruction manual for making a person, running that individual, and then having them go on to make their own new little people. But it’s just part of the picture of who we are. So when, as a geneticist, people say ‘oh, it’s in their DNA’, I just kind of go, ‘ahh’ because our DNA is just part of who we are.
She added: “DNA is just part of the picture – we have so much of our own choice in who we are, and our health, and this kind of thing.” As co-presenter of the TV series 'DNA Family Secrets', Dr King wants to convey that few genetic diseases are guaranteed by one's genes, noting: "There are some genes that we know have a very big impact, but for the vast majority, it’s way more complex."
Dr King, the director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, explained the complexity of human development at New Scientist Live, stating: "It is a mixture of our genetic makeup, also our environment, and that will be everything from how we are brought up to what we’re eating to where we’re living – and we have our choices in that."
She highlighted how genetics plays a pivotal role not just in forensics but also in understanding history, genealogy, and archaeology.
