A Family That Walks On All Fours

Visit the Nova web site and read through the essay The Genetic Factor and the essay The Family and Me. The essay The Genetic Factor gives you a geneticist's point of view. The essay The Family and Me looks at the family from a human justice point of view.

Think about the four questions we were thinking about in class. What light do these essays shed on the predicament this famiy finds itself in? What light does it shed on how scientists have approached the study of this family? Tell me your opinion of the questions asked and the conclusions these different parties drew.

Questions from class:

1. What are some possible reasons for why some family members are handwalker?

2. What is the treatment of the family by outsiders (e.g., villagers, scientists, film producers)?

3. What neurological tests were performed and what conclusions were drawn from them?

4. What interactions were there among family members and the beliefs they hold?