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The Identity Project
Find out about the science of identity, explore issues of
privacy and consider the role the mind plays in making us who we
Who am I? Why am I here? What makes me human? Modern science is beginning to unravel some of the answers - opening up further conundrums and surprises along the way.
As the complex nature of our genes emerges, researchers are increasingly focusing on the areas of the genome outside the actual 'coding' regions for clues as to how our DNA makes us what we are.
Identical twins share 100 per cent of their genes - but can grow to look less similar as they age, and have different personality traits and susceptibilities to disease.
A large-scale study is helping to show how parents' mental states are passed on to the next generation.
Although we can modify the effects of our genes through our choices and environment, the genetic imprint we get from our families plays a significant role in shaping our identities.
Large-scale studies are playing a fundamental role in helping scientists to identify distinctions between the effects of genes and environment on our bodies and minds. But would you want to know your genetic risk factors for disease?
The sharing of personal and biological information between many different research groups raises concerns about how the anonymity of such data can be protected.
The translation of patients' written medical records into electronic documents offers real opportunities to advance research. However, the possibility raises concerns around anonymity and protection of data.
The preservation and protection of anonymity is a central concern for people donating personal information and biological samples to research.
The philosopher Rene Descartes famously declared 'I think therefore I am' - and modern neuroscience is giving us intriguing glimpses of what that means in terms of specific neuronal activity in our brains.
Professor Geraint Rees at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL is tackling what might seem to be the most daunting of all the big existential questions - the nature and threshold of consciousness.
Comforting as it is to believe we have free will, it appears the chemical and structural make up of our brains can hold a very powerful sway over our actions and choices.
Sometimes our brains compel us to repeat choices that are neither productive or rewarding.
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