Baby, Were You Born This Way? Epigenetics & The Nature vs Nurture Debate

Unbiased Science

@unbiasedscipod

Education, Science, Health & Fitness

4.4 • 644 Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2024

⏱️ 45 minutes

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Summary

In this episode, Dr. Jess Steier and Dr. Sarah Scheinman explore the fascinating field of epigenetics, which examines how external factors influence gene expression and impact health outcomes. They discuss the interplay between nature and nurture, explaining how epigenetics involves information layered on top of DNA that affects gene operation. The scientists cover key mechanisms like DNA methylation and histone modifications, and how factors such as nutrition and stress can impact these processes. They highlight landmark studies, including research on agouti mice and the Dutch Famine Birth Cohort Study, which demonstrate the long-term effects of environmental factors on gene expression and disease risk. The conversation also touches on the implications of epigenetics for mental health and the potential for future advancements in personalized medicine. Throughout the episode, Dr. Steier and Dr. Scheinman emphasize the complex relationship between genetics and environment in shaping human development and health. All our sources from this episode are available at: https://www.unbiasedscipod.com/episodes/ (00:00) Introduction (02:27) Understanding Genetics and the Human Genome (06:23) Epigenetics: Layered Information on Top of DNA (10:19) Explaining Methylation and Histones (16:20) External and Internal Regulation of Epigenetic Modifications (18:43) Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance (21:21) Landmark Studies in Epigenetics: Agouti Mice (23:35) Environmental Influence on Epigenetic Markers in Twins (26:07) Prenatal Exposure to Famine and DNA Methylation (28:36) The Effects of Space Travel on Epigenetic Markers (30:52) Epigenetics and Mental Health (36:25) Final Thoughts: Future Advancements in Manipulating Epigenetic Changes Interested in advertising with us? Please reach out to advertising@airwavemedia.com, with “Unbiased Science” in the subject line. PLEASE NOTE: The discussion and information provided in this podcast are for general educational, scientific, and informational purposes only and are not intended as, and should not be treated as, medical or other professional advice for any particular individual or individuals. Every person and medical issue is different, and diagnosis and treatment requires consideration of specific facts often unique to the individual. As such, the information contained in this podcast should not be used as a substitute for consultation with and/or treatment by a doctor or other medical professional. If you are experiencing any medical issue or have any medical concern, you should consult with a doctor or other medical professional. Further, due to the inherent limitations of a podcast such as this as well as ongoing scientific developments, we do not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information or analysis provided in this podcast, although, of course we always endeavor to provide comprehensive information and analysis. In no event may Unbiased Science or any of the participants in this podcast be held liable to the listener or anyone else for any decision allegedly made or action allegedly taken or not taken allegedly in reliance on the discussion or information in this podcast or for any damages allegedly resulting from such reliance. The information provided herein do not represent the views of our employers.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.
0:20.4	Welcome to Unbiased Science, where we bring scientific method to the madness.
0:27.2	We are your host, Dr. Jess Steyer, and Dr. Sarah Scheinman.
0:32.4	And today, we are going to tackle a topic that, honestly, I feel like I'm going to be doing a lot of
0:40.2	question asking and listening to Dr. Scheinman. The topic is epigenetics. It's a really, you know,
0:49.4	cool branch of science that I feel like, you know, people hear the term, but don't really understand
0:55.3	what it means. It came up briefly in our episode on Alzheimer's. I really, I can't remember the
1:01.5	context. I don't know if you do, Sarah. Maybe you do. Well, you were just talking to me about
1:06.6	what my research was in particular in my interests and what my post-actorial research right now
1:12.8	is focused on the epigenetics of Alzheimer's disease. NBD, no big deal. So yeah, and just to be
1:19.6	totally honest, I remember, or I think I said something along the lines of, you know, my
1:25.6	understanding of epigenetics was that things in our
1:28.5	environment are like turning on certain genes. And you were like, eh, you know, you kind of jumped in.
1:35.8	And we're like, well, that's not exactly what's happening. And so, you know, really, I think today
1:42.2	it's going to be like time for school with Dr. Scheidman. But I also, you know, really, I think today it's going to be like time for school with Dr.
1:44.7	Scheidman, but I also, you know, I have lots of questions.
1:48.3	We're going to talk about some landmark studies in epigenetics.
1:52.0	And really, I guess the overarching conversation is about the interplay between nature and nurture, right?
2:00.1	And so obviously we're born with a set of genes and then
2:04.6	we live in a world and there's, you know, the environment around us and something's going on.
2:10.1	There is some sort of interaction between those two things. So we're going to get into it.
2:14.4	Anything else to set the stage before you sort of jump in with some definitions for us?
	...

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