It’s a tricky point, and science does not have an answer. Tagore, a 1913 Nobel laureate in literature, lost seven family members, including his wife and three of his five children, within a short period of time.

Though science was not that developed at that time, science still can’t predict those abnormal deaths.

Scientists are asking: Can genes — our genetic makeup — predict in advance when a person will die?

Doctors often inform cancer patients that, within a mere three to six months, the messenger of death will come knocking at their door. Such predictions may prove accurate, or they may not; doctors typically make these assessments based on clinical experience and observed symptoms.

Over the past decade, numerous businesses built upon genetic information have emerged. Through DNA analysis, you can now uncover details about your ancestry. Simply mail in a saliva sample, and a short while later, you can learn about your predisposition to conditions like diabetes — and even gain insights into your risk for other fatal diseases.

It is worth noting that the nature of such predictions is fundamentally rooted in probability. However, these predictions are becoming progressively more accurate.

Think about weather forecasting, for instance: from temperature fluctuations to rainfall, storms and lightning strikes, meteorologists in our small town now predict these phenomena with remarkable precision.

I, however, am contemplating a different matter: Can genes predict in advance whether an individual will one day become a terrorist? I believe this is certainly possible, as genetic anomalies are often a common feature among those suffering from mental illnesses. Yet, it does not necessarily follow that every person with a mental illness will inevitably become a terrorist.

Furthermore, in a country like the United States — with a population of about 350 million — is it even feasible to generate DNA profiles for every single citizen? Moreover, conducting such tests without explicit consent is strictly prohibited by law.

Dispatch readers, you may read the news of horrific gun deaths almost every day in the U.S. It includes shootings at schools, colleges, universities and even churches.

It is my firm belief that the genes of those killed held no prophecy foretelling such a tragic and unnatural end.

Much like Malala, they excelled in their studies and harbored the hope that, one day, they would achieve something truly extraordinary. Malala, too, was struck by a terrorist’s bullet — yet she survived.

In just a few weeks, two Bangladeshi doctoral students in Florida were killed for no justifiable reason. They would have gone back to Bangladesh with Ph.D. degrees; however, their bodies have returned.

Now, all of this has been reduced to mere data points within the realm of scientific probability. Regarding such abnormal, unnatural deaths — whether from gunfire, accidents or pandemics — what prediction can science offer?

Jiben Roy, a native of Bangladesh, is a retired chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences professor at Mississippi University for Women. He writes occasional columns in The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].