176 - You vs Your Genetics Part 1
Epigenetics is a newborn field of science which claims we can change our genome…sort of. So how much can we actually alter?
Epigenetics as a field emerged from a collection of now-disproven frog studies, some musty church records in starving Swedish towns, and laboratories that conducted cruel studies on mice and their pups. However, by carving away the earliest claims about the potential boons of epigenetics, scientists have finally managed to unveil the seeds of truth about methylation - that is, the “rust” that accumulates on our DNA as we age - and what they’ve discovered is astonishing.
In Part One of our epigenetic series, Todd and Joe will talk about the Överkalix starvation records, and explain how hungry Swedish grandparents accidentally bred a generation of children who were virtually immune to heart disease. Then we’ll begin a conga-line of debunking all the factors that we can, and what we can’t change as humans, in our own genetic code. Trauma, nature vs nurture, stress responses, and IQ levels are the first facts we’re going to tackle. We’ll discuss the rodent studies that proved that nurturing mothers can produce normal children, even if those children are genetically “bad seeds.” We’ll also talk about why garbage food and stress hormones can age your genes faster than what’s natural. And we’ll explain why brilliant Einstein-level smart genes can’t replace a good learning environment, and how the American system is failing young geniuses by cutting away support systems and creating high-pressure, high-stress environments.
Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuQKXux8UlE&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15220929/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/making-sense/analysis-how-poverty-can-drive-down-intelligence
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/conscientiousness
https://www.businessinsider.com/tips-tricks-longevity-expert-reduced-longevity-2023-10