Q&A with Mark Shriver, Professor of Biology and Professor of Anthropology and Genetics, to inspire and help school children and viewers understand the work geneticists do and how this research is applied.
Download a PDF of the Q&A with Mark Shriver.
Q. What is your job title and what does your work involve?
My titles are Associate Professor of Biology at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georiga and Professor of Anthropology and Genetics at Penn State University, in State College, Pennsylvania. My work involves teaching college students graduate students and other young scientists. Much of this student training involves working together on scientific research projects. In my opinion, the best way to learn something, whether it’s cool tricks on the bicycle or in a science lab, is by practice and experience. I think our species has a strong natural tendency towards empirical or experimental science. Consider how a baby will play with gravity by dropping his cup again and again all the while watching intently as it falls. The baby is doing an experiment and learning how the world works! This is science and it can and should be a lot of fun. Most babies know that the reactions of adults to their gravity play can be a lot of fun.
Q. How can your work/ research be used in every day life?
There is much we currently do not know about how the human body works and how it is evolving. We do not always know what goes wrong when we get sick. Such an understanding might help us cure illness more effectively and help people live longer happier lives. I think science can also nurture our curiosity about the bigger questions in life. Knowing we have evolved from other organisms and that we continue to evolve can provide a context for understanding our roles as persons. This should remind us of our interconnectedness with each other and all other life on earth. I think too that most people are interested in where we come from. Knowing that traits are transmitted from one generation to the next through genes, for example, helps us to understand this in a new way. Do both Mom and Dad have dark hair and eyes like I do? Do I have a face like? Does my brother have curly hair like Grampa?
Q. What is the most exciting thing about your work?
At this stage in our understanding of genetics and evolution, we really know very little: We are explorers, charting the unknown. Sometimes we don’t even know what are the interesting questions. For example, it was only over the past couple years that we discovered that the genes that make an East Asian population light skinned are different from those that make a European population light skinned. Although East Asians and Europeans look similar in skin color compared to Africans, they got this way separately at different times in the past and in different parts of the world.
Q. Why do you study human diversity?
I am simply fascinated by the process of evolution. To know that the diversity of human appearance around the globe has emerged over a very short period of time is truly remarkable. Most genes are very similar among populations and there are only a small number of genes that are different across populations. Not all genes evolve at the same rate. Some change slowly and some much more quickly. The genes that determine how we look are among those that have evolved rapidly over the past several thousand years. Skin color, hair texture and what our faces look like are some of the most interesting of human traits from an evolutionary perspective. How and why these genes evolved so quickly are important questions to consider if we want to understand our species.
Q. What are the highs?
I love the moment of discovery, that “eureka!” moment. A new understanding of how things work can be transformative, letting us see the world in a whole new way. Having students is sometimes a lot like having children. A lot of joy can be gotten watching both explore the world and discover the beauty and logic of how things work.
Q. What are the lows?
The level of self-confidence and tenacity needed can sometimes be difficult. Also, it’s hard when people don’t believe in what you’re doing or they accuse you of being too curious about something they think is frivolous or not important. For example, sometimes people think I shouldn’t explore why people look different, why people’s hair, eyes, and faces come in different colors and shapes. But I have to remind myself that in science, all questions are valid. If we never dared to try to answer those questions, we would never learn anything new and important.
Q. How can I get into this area of science? What should I study?
Science is a practice of careful observation and critical thinking. To excel at science you have to question everything, especially your own preconceptions about the world. Always ask yourself, “Why do I believe this? Because someone told me? Because I see it for myself? Because everyone else believes it?” To be a good scientist you should be prepared for those results you expect to get and those that are unexpected. It is important to get both a broad education to many types of science and to learn the details of the things that interest you most. Mathematics is an important subject in science since the process of measuring and comparing different observations and conditions is important. Math is also important as a form of critical reasoning and expressing the relationships among causes and effects. Some math might not come easy to you. Stick with it, ask your teachers questions, and practice. It will get easier. Science is a form of play. Remember to let yourself have fun and don’t forget the joy of wonder. Even if we get to the point where we can explain everything in the universe, the joy and wonder of life and the physical world will still be there.
Download a PDF of the Q&A with Mark Shriver.
Discover more about the Race: Science's Last Taboo season.
