Down here at the pawn shop

[footfootfoot]

There have been recent studies showing that our DNA changes in response to stress. That DNA is inherited by descendants even though the stress has changed.

Basically, evolution.

By stress I don't mean a tough day at work, but any type of stress put upon a person. Hunger, learning, emergencies and so forth.

It is probably true about other human experiences but I don't think that's been studied, but it stands to reason. We need to think of DNA as "a living document" not something cast in stone.

[Lamplighter]

Ummmm.....I'm not so sure.

Such "stress" would have to specifically affect the DNA of a person's sperm or egg cells,
not their somatic cells, for inheritance to take place, and even then
inheritance would happen only rarely and randomly
... in a comparatively miniscule number of pregnancies.

When the stress of pregnancies during the severe starvation and war time conditions
at Stalingrad during WWII was investigated for birth defects, the effects could not be shown.

I think UT's emphasis on "culture" is important, not in the food/water sense of "nurture",
but in the overall sense of societal support and traditions.
Unfortunately, some of those traditions are not always beneficial to the individual.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

Ummmm.....I'm not so sure.

Such "stress" would have to specifically affect the DNA of a person's sperm or egg cells,
not their somatic cells, for inheritance to take place, and even then
inheritance would happen only rarely and randomly
... in a comparatively miniscule number of pregnancies.

When the stress of pregnancies during the severe starvation and war time conditions
at Stalingrad during WWII was investigated for birth defects, the effects could not be shown.

I think UT's emphasis on "culture" is important, not in the food/water sense of "nurture",
but in the overall sense of societal support and traditions.
Unfortunately, some of those traditions are not always beneficial to the individual.

As I remember the (I think it was a National Geographic video about Sapolsky's work) video stated that the researchers followed the children who were born of those pregnant mothers and those children had inherited the changed DNA in their somatic cells. Perhaps it was only a change that was passed on to fetuses. I don't recall if the children of the starvation victims then had children with the changed DNA.

Maybe I have to watch it again and take better notes, drink less beer, or fewer beers.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

When the stress of pregnancies during the severe starvation and war time conditions
at Stalingrad during WWII was investigated for birth defects, the effects could not be shown.

Changes in DNA are not birth defects.

[LabRat]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

There have been recent studies showing that our DNA changes in response to stress. ...We need to think of DNA as "a living document" not something cast in stone.

*** de-cloaks***

Yes, this field of study is called epigenetics.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/epigenetics.html :
Program Description
Once nurture seemed clearly distinct from nature. Now it appears that our diets and lifestyles can change the expression of our genes. How? By influencing a network of chemical switches within our cells collectively known as the epigenome. This new understanding may lead us to potent new medical therapies. Epigenetic cancer therapy, for one, already seems to be yielding promising results.

and

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/
WHAT IS EPIGENETICS?
The development and maintenance of an organism is orchestrated by a set of chemical reactions that switch parts of the genome off and on at strategic times and locations. Epigenetics is the study of these reactions and the factors that influence them.
EPIGENETICS & THE ENVIRONMENT
The genome dynamically responds to the environment. Stress, diet, behavior, toxins and other factors activate chemical switches that regulate gene expression.

are two good places to start for info if you want to know more.

Sometimes, it really is yo mamma's fault.

***returns to lurker status***