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SUMMARY:What we face in facing up to complexity in the genetics of complex
  disease - Ken Weiss\, Pennsylvania State University
DTSTART:20050629T140000Z
DTEND:20050629T150000Z
UID:TALK4378@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Phil Cowans
DESCRIPTION:Epidemiology does well understanding the etiology of diseases 
 produced by strong\, replicable point-causation\, such as by infectious or
 ganisms\, strong environmental factors\, and Mendelian (strong) genetic ef
 fects.  We do much less well applying standard scientific methods to under
 stand the cause of complex (multifactorial) disease.  In frustration\, and
  in the belief that genes are the essential causal elements of life\, envi
 ronmental epidemiology has been turning to genetics for the answers.  But 
 geneticists are having the same problems and for similar reasons\, even if
  genes are in many ways more rigorously approachable than other kinds of c
 ausal agents.  Genomes are experimentally approachable and illuminated as 
 well as constrained by evolution in ways environmental factors are not.  B
 ut how well complex casuation can be understood through conventional metho
 ds\, or by scaled up computing and molecular technologies\, or what altern
 ative conceptualisation might be better\, are unclear and highly debated.\
 n
LOCATION:Ryle Seminar Room\, Rutherford Building\, Cavendish Laboratory\, 
 Department of Physics
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