The Biology of Belief summary

Lamarck’s theory points to the importance of cooperation in biology. Let’s explore this by looking at nature’s remarkable survivor – the cell – whose functions are the result of many elements working together.

There is not a single function in our bodies, from digestion to the workings of our immune system, that can’t be found in a single cell.

In the previous blinks, we found that Darwin’s theory of evolution is not always supported by science.

Remarkably, even Darwin himself had doubts about his work. In a letter he wrote near the end of his life, he questioned whether he had given enough consideration to the role of environmental factors in evolution.

You might be surprised to learn that illnesses caused by medical treatments are one of the biggest causes of death in the Western world. In the United States in 2003, illnesses stemming from medical treatments were in fact the number-one killer. So why is this happening?

The answer can be found in the world of physics.

You have probably heard of the placebo effect. This is where people recover from an illness after receiving a “fake” treatment, such as taking a sugar pill. This effect suggests that the power of recovery lies at least partly in our minds; we get better because we think we will.

So how could this be?

Life on earth has endured for billions of years. But how? Our bodies display two types of behavior that have helped perpetuate our existence: growth and protection.

We can see this by looking at our cells. In one study, scientists placed cloned human cells in a culture dish. When the cells were confronted with toxins, they moved as far away as possible. This is the protection response. Yet when a nutritious substance was introduced, the cells gravitated toward it. This is the growth response.

We have learned quite a lot so far, so let’s take a minute to recap: we know that signals from the environment impact our cells. We know how the body copes with stress and we are aware that we can reprogram ourselves.

But how can we utilize this knowledge in our own lives? One area where we can apply it is in parenting.

What is the overarching message of evolution? “Survival of the fittest,” perhaps? Actually, a more accurate expression is “make peace, not war.” But why is this so resonant?

For billions of years, cells have cooperated and developed systems that have allowed them to survive.

There are some religions that declare we are made in the image of God. For the atheists among us, this concept can be a little hard to swallow. However, if we take “God” to mean the universe or the totality of our environment, there is indeed evidence to suggest that we are formed from the universe or from what some may call “God.”

That is to say, the proteins in every cell in our body respond to signals from our surroundings. This informs how they behave and therefore forms our identity. And because we are made up of cells, we can say we are created from our environment.

The key message in this book:

The idea that genes control our lives is no longer supported by the latest scientific research. The new biology has discovered that we have instead a profound influence over our genes. Scientists involved in the new biology should therefore dedicate their efforts to better understanding these mechanisms to help humanity overcome its problems.