[isoprophlex]

The article seems quite level-headed and thoughtful.

That said, this jumps the gun:

> The idea that trauma is passed down epigenetically is not only unscientific, it’s also un-agentic; if you believe your trauma is hardwired into your DNA, you’re prone to passively accept it rather than actively trying to overcome it.

Recent research is pretty convincing that the "folk wisdom" of trauma being passed down to later generations is a real thing.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fearful-memories-...

https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.3594

Edit: and I'll add that the mice were able to overcome the inherited trauma, too, so you could argue that it's actually an empowering concept. Even though we can't control what we inherit, this shows you can overcome it.

[shitter]

Yes, it's no more "un-agentic" than the fact that trauma can be transferred psychologically during one's upbringing. Is there any evidence that this kind of trauma is trivial to overcome compared to the kind that's "hardwired into your DNA"?

[janice1999]

There have been multiple studies on the descendants of Holocaust survivors looking at exactly this btw.

"Descendants of Holocaust Survivors Have Altered Stress Hormones": https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/descendants-of-ho...

[thrance]

I would think surviving absolute horror would shape the education one would give to their children. Why is it necessarily epigenetic?

[isoprophlex]

Maybe not necessarily; it might turn out to be both with a little more research done? Out of many psychological phenomena, this seems like it could actually be quite research-able.

[pacbard]

I'll take the bait.

It seems to me that going from "F1 and F2 generations of mice respond differently to the smell of acetophenone if their parents were exposed to it" to "well, human trauma is inherited and there isn't anything we can do about violent behavior" is somewhat far-fetched and smells like neo-eugenics.

[isoprophlex]

If the bait wasn't too traumatizing, could I interest you in a dessert? No acetophenone flavor, I promise.

> In summary, we have begun to explore an under-appreciated influence on adult behavior—ancestral experience before conception. From a translational perspective, our results allow us to appreciate how the experiences of a parent, before even conceiving offspring, markedly influence both structure and function in the nervous system of subsequent generations. Such a phenomenon may contribute to the etiology and potential intergenerational transmission of risk for neuropsychiatric disorders, such as phobias, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. To conclude, we interpret these results as highlighting how generations can inherit information about the salience of specific stimuli in ancestral environments so that their behavior and neuroanatomy are altered to allow for appropriate stimulus-specific responses.

[benreesman]

I’ll take the bait: junk DNA, arguments against epigenetic expression, the irrelevance of the guy microbiome. Wrong and wrong and wrong NYT biosciences editor!

Mainstream consensus on this as reported in the popular press is nothing like the actual credence of the guys in lab coats. I know serious biotech people at serious schools who won’t fuck with mMRNA vaccination personally. As long as they’re not quoted on it.

When you get your bioscience from The Atlantic? Be ready to be wrong soon.

Real scientists don’t mouth off like this. They choose an emphasis when writing a grant application like a cover letter.