Nurature?

On March 4th I wrote about my views about the nurture vs. nature debate. I sided with nurturalists. However, my views were skewed by my belief that nurture and nature are mutually exclusive. Today (in biology class) I learned otherwise.

In 1965, François Jacob and Jacques Monod, along with Andre Lwoff were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for discovering the lac operon. (lac being lactose). Basically, the lac operon is a component of the DNA of E. Coli bacteria, although operons are present in the DNA of all organisms. This particular operon was the first discovered and is the canon example. E. Coli usually consume glucose. Sometimes though glucose isn't available, but E. Coli have evolved mechanisms that break down lactose into the two components of its di-compound figure (two different compouns fused together): glucose and galactose. Glucose can then be consumed by the bacteria as normal. However, making the protein that breaks down lactose - Beta-Galactosidase) take energy to such an extent (like making all proteins) that it is disadventagious to the cell. Therefore, the cell has evolved a mechanism to supress the synthesis of Beta-Galactosidase unless lactose is present. This mechanism is the lac operon.

In other words, the natural functioning of the cell can be altered by environmental conditions. Nurture and nature collide. Colbert features nurature as The Word. Opponents of the homosexual agenda implode. Gay marriage is allowed. Conservates submit to sepuku. The world ends. Obviously not. I don't know the extent of the impacts of operons, plus they've been known for a long time so I'm sure scientists have considered this, so I guess the lesson of the post is don't dichotomize nurture and nature (like I did, on March 4th).