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Author: Comings, David E.
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Comings, David E.
Gene Bomb: Does Higher Education and Advanced Technology Accelerate the Selection of Genes for Learning Disorders, ADHD, Addictive, and Disruptive Behaviors?
Duarte CA: Hope Press, 1996
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Hope Press
Keyword(s): Age at First Birth; Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Attention/Attention Deficit; Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Behavior, Violent; Behavioral Problems; Educational Attainment; Educational Returns; Fertility; Genetics; High School Dropouts; Marriage; School Suspension/Expulsion; Sexual Behavior; Siblings; Substance Use; Welfare

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

The following chapters use NLSY data: table of Contents for chapters: 19. The NLSY; 20. NLSY - IQ; 21. NLSY - Crime; 22. NLSY - Drug Abuse; 23. NLSY - Alcoholism; 24. NLSY - Sexual Behavior; 25. NLSY - Marriage; 26. NLSY - Welfare; 27. NLSY - Suspended or Expelled from School; 28. NLSY - Education; 29. NLSY - Grades; 30. NLSY - School Dropouts; 31. NLSY Children - Disruptive Disorders. Midwest Book Review: There seems to be an upward trend in the numbers of children and adults with attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, anxiety, anger, and rage. The frequency of depression, suicide, crime, and related behaviors also seems to be increasing, as are the numbers of children dropping out of school, turning to drugs, alcohol, and violence. The causal factors are usually attributed to environmental factors and to the stress of an increasingly complex and technological society. In The Gene Bomb, Dr. David Comings proposes a persuasive new theory that just the opposite is occurring. He suggests that our increasingly complex society, with its requirement for more and more years of education, is selecting for the genes associated with these behavioral disorders, and that these genes are increasing and will continue to increase in frequency. Dr. Comings suggests that the critical factor is not just the number of children individuals have, but the age at which they have them, and that these undesirable behaviors are caused, in part, by genetic factors. He then demonstrates regardless of the behavior, individuals who have problems tend to have children earlier than those who do not, and that this can provide a powerful selective force for the genes involved. The dramatic difference in age at the birth of the first child is largely driven by the number of years of education. This factor has become significant only in the latter part of this century. The Gene Bomb has broad implications for public policy -- as well as the future of the human species! This is provocati ve and important for sciences, for educators, and for the general public.
Bibliography Citation
Comings, David E. Gene Bomb: Does Higher Education and Advanced Technology Accelerate the Selection of Genes for Learning Disorders, ADHD, Addictive, and Disruptive Behaviors? Duarte CA: Hope Press, 1996.