"Nature versus nurture is a centuries' old distinction, but neuroscience and genetics are taking us to a new level of sophistication in understanding it. We are going beyond the realization that nature and nurture are inextricable, and are now gaining insights about what nature contributes and how it makes nurture possible. Mitchell's book is a new landmark in this debate, with clear and substantive explanations of the new light that biology is shedding on an old question." --Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Blank Slate and Enlightenment Now "What makes you you ? Are there genes for intelligence or sexuality? How much is your personality determined by genes and how much by environment? In Innate , leading geneticist Kevin Mitchell takes us on a fascinating journey into the science of nature and nurture, in health as well as in neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and schizophrenia. It is a captivating read, and relevant to all of us." --Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, author of Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain "What makes people differ from one another, and how much does biology have to do with it? Kevin Mitchell bravely wades into some of the most politically fraught questions in science and delivers a clear, level-headed, up-to-the-minute account of what we do and don't know." --Gary Marcus, author of Guitar Zero and The Birth of the Mind " Innate is outstanding in every respect--timely, important, and unlike any other book. Kevin Mitchell is at the very top of his field, and he writes with exceptional clarity, using compelling and memorable examples.

His stellar contribution on 'noise' during embryonic and later development will utterly change how many people think about individual differences and the role of genes. Innate is a flat-out winner." --Patricia S. Churchland, author of Touching a Nerve: Our Brains, Our Selves "Lucid and refreshing, Innate cuts through the Gordian knot of confusion about nature and nurture and heralds a sea change in psychology and neuroscience research and in the public's engagement with it. Kevin Mitchell explains the fundamental role of genetic factors in brain and mind development in a clear and compelling way. This is a truly important book." --Uta Frith, author of Autism: A Very Short Introduction.