The Genetics of Magical People

[Milz]

No: HPFGUIDX 173955

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Katie" <anigrrrl2 at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Milz" <absinthe@> wrote:
> >
> > From the Bloomsbury chat:
> > 
> > "How exactly do muggleborns receive magical ability?
> > JKR: Muggle-borns will have a witch or wizard somewhere on their 
> family 
> > tree, in some cases many, many generations back. The gene re-
surfaces 
> > in some unexpected places."
> > 
> > So on the surface, the magical gene appears to be a recessive 
gene.
> > 
> > Milz
> >
> ****
> Katie:
> Hmmm...I don't love this explanation. So, basically, that means 
that 
> magic does have to do with blood and genetics. That's fine, and 
> obviously now it is canon, but I always liked to think of magical 
> ability as being bestowed upon those who could see the world 
> differently. Not necessarily always good people (obviously!), but 
on 
> people who were not so mundane...I guess I got that because Muggles 
> always are referred to as sort of clueless and unable to see the 
> magical things in the world. I am sort of bummed out that it's all 
just 
> a quirk in a chromosome. Katie
>

I think that stems from Rowling's personal life. Her mother had 
multiple sclerosis, which has a some sort of genetic/hereditary 
connection. So, I think it's kind of nice that she tossed a 
scientific explanation into it all.

RE: Genius, genetics, etc.

When I was in high school, I was really into psychology/psychiatry. I 
volunteered at mental health hospitals as a candy striper. At one of 
these places I met E. Fuller Torrey, MD. Dr. Torrey was a renown 
expert on schizophrenia and it was fascinating to talk to him and 
other mental health experts (at least for me, lol.) They told me that 
if you look at the families of "geniuses" they have first and second 
degree relatives with mental illnesses like schizophrenia and major 
depression. Sometimes the mental illness is within their generation 
(like a first cousin or an uncle). Some times the mental illness goes 
back several generations. The reverse was also true.

That led them to believe that there is a genetic link between some 
forms of mental illness and that depending on how the gene was 
expressed in a person, it could mean the difference between life-long 
institutionalization and a MENSA membership. They also told me that 
some "geniuses" exhibit "soft signs" of mental illness. That is, they 
have enough of the diagnostic criteria to raise concern, but they 
don't have enough of the criteria to be diagnosed with the disorder.

Fascinating stuff...

Milz