We move into every new year carrying beliefs from previous years. Scientific confusion and unresolved questions can sometimes cause society and families to become intellectually and emotionally divided.

Centuries ago, we thought the Earth was flat and the center of the universe, and we feared that sailing exploration would send us over the edge of a cliff. Sir Isaac Newton tried to explain gravity, but now this discussion extends even further into the mysterious realm of “black holes.”

Evolving science seeks to clarify these observations, but we still lack answers regarding how we, as a species, fit into the rest of the universe.

From the broad expanses of the unknown to the inner sanction of the human body, I pose the question: Does anyone know the role of hormone balance and DNA in our species? Does science? This question has complex answers, yet it is not beyond the understanding of current science.

Hormones play a vital role in our development. From growth and reproduction to aging and death, these chemicals produced by glands under the influence of DNA ensure that we function effectively in our environment.

Natural selection and survival of the fittest help the human species reproduce and propagate. However, there is a hormonal range and simultaneous variability that we cannot control through biological factors starting before birth, which impact physical and emotional development.

Physical differences between women and men arise from DNA and changing hormone levels, including estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone. At a particular stage in utero, external genitalia develop, which, at birth, identify a person as physically female or male.

Importantly, this external physical appearance may not reflect the internal broad spectrum of circulating hormone levels. Medical science is still in its infancy, and some hormones are probably undiscovered. Their balance in emotional and physiologic effects needs to be better understood.

The effects of this hormone balance have varied widely in humans for as long as we have been a species.

Society has attempted to label individuals and, at times, ostracize those who do not conform to categories they consider “normal.” Instead of embracing these differences, some have chosen to shun those who may exist at the edge of that broad spectrum.

A friend of mine recently attended a wedding where the bride’s parents disowned her because she was gay. My friend walked her down the aisle. Understanding she had no control over her hormones was not something her parents could understand. Sad situations like this divide us and bring heartache to everyone.

Shouldn’t we ask why some people have difficulty identifying their sexuality? Does this stem from society teaching us to give dolls to little girls and trucks to little boys? Can one believe it arises from peer pressure, or is it a personal choice?

Let’s stop discussing variations in sexuality as if it is abnormal and acknowledge that we are different because our DNA and hormone levels may vary significantly. Medical science has not yet gained complete understanding in this area. Physicians and scientists must continue to conduct evidence-based studies to address these questions. Indeed, we won’t sail off the edge of the Earth or be drawn into a black hole.

Overcoming our fear of human variation, whether in hormone balance, skin color, or untapped intellect, is still a challenge to which humankind must find answers.

Once we do, it will bring harmony to how we survive as a species.

Gene Uzawa Dorio is an internal medicine physician who blogs at SCV Physician Report.