If ancestral experiences can influence your genetic makeup, how might understanding epigenetics change the way we approach health and well-being across generations?
If ancestral experiences can influence genetic makeup through epigenetics, understanding this could revolutionize our approach to health and well-being across generations. It suggests that stress, trauma, and environmental factors experienced by previous generations could predispose descendants to certain health outcomes, such as mental health disorders or chronic diseases. By acknowledging this, we could develop more holistic healthcare strategies that not only address individual health but also consider family history and generational trauma.
The epigenetic mechanisms are set up through Darwinian Evolutionary processes. Lamarck thought of 'intent' in the parents generation leading to morphological/physiological changes in the offspring, so no, Lamarck was not right, it is just not all Mendelian Inheritance. And Giraffe necks are most likely to do with dispersed herds than reaching for leaves, as they mostly bend their necks down to feed!
I imagine maybe we can offer the next generation a preemptive scanning for the problematic epigenetic factor that has passed on. More probably the red pill cult will inherit the idea and create a 21-day diet/meditation program before conceiving their project child so they can be at the top of their epigenetics.
If she has time aside from her research, Dr. Marlin should consider making some educational content. She has an excellent ability to clearly explain concepts.
Where do they keep finding these brilliant people who are such great communicators and also have the durability of humor to hang with these folks? Dr. Marlin needs to be on more often.
When asked why she does this work she amazingly says "1 for the love of understanding science and 2 for the love of understanding people". What an awesome lady, new favourite scientist!!!
Thank you for mentioning Gaza, Gary. I'm an Arab woman, and I only have time for StarTalk as a form of content in my day. I've taken a liking for Astrophysics and decided to peruse it as an education/career, and quite literally - the only entertainment I watch and have time for is this. We feel so much pain for our brother and sisters in Gaza. The generational trauma they've had and continue to have is something I'm glad you're drawing attention to. Be well and keep looking up 🙏 ❤
I was waiting for this comment. what can I say. it is not a pleasant thing to hear again and again that only Gazans are traumatized. strength for Israel and Ukraine 🇮🇱💗🇺🇦 free Palestine from Hamas.
@@juliakazantseva9750how embarrassing to equate the “struggle” of Israelis and the deliberate and calculated erasure of generations and any form of a normal life ever again.
@@juliakazantseva9750 Maximizing empathy with a flattened city in an occupied land does not minimize empathy with the colonizer that subjected its people to equal trauma. No one can deny their trauma. It just looks different from a flattened city.
Thank you for your work, Dr Marlin! Humanity really needs this kind of research. As a second-generation Holocaust survivor, I've had therapists who couldn't understand my anxieties and kept telling me “But you didn't live through the Holocaust, that's not where your anxiety comes from...”. I finally found a therapist who knows about generational trauma, and I think I have you to thank for that. The phrase “It's not about hurting your feelings, we're talking about a [sensory experience/pattern] that binds and activates that receptor” echoed a lot with what I'm going through. Thanks to StarTalk for raising awareness about this
My grandma was a famine survivor (Holodomor in Ukraine 1932-1933). She had dementia later in life, and she was always hiding bread or candy under her pillow. My other grandma (same age, same circumstances) was drinking her tea with 6 spoons of sugar. Interesting how it affects me on top of my own trauma because of the current war
@@eternal60214 I don't exactly know that's why I wrote it in my comment like that. I know my own trauma because of the war but I was wondering if there are also effects from my grandparents which were obviously traumatized till the end of their life. If it wasn't formulated clearly that I do not know the answer to that question but rather would like to know, my bad.
I am having a number of uncomfortable experiences as I watch this presentation. I am guessing I have limited exposure to intelligent, educated, beautiful black women, because she held my attention. I gotta get out more, my world is limited. Although claiming that watching a video is being "out in the world," smacks of self delusion. Dr. Marlin also pointed out there are issues about knowledge, technology, manipulation and responsibility. Sugar is one of many materials used to extract and concentrate money, although money and value and power are abstract concepts, they appear to be useful. Human attention appears to be the commodity traded to concentrate power. I find some irony that the Zuckerberg institute at Columbia University, or some institutions of similar names, sponsor, house or support this research. Facebook, Meta and Zuckerberg have been successful at changing what human populations, or demographic, believe to be true and selling the curated belief. So far responsibility has been successfully ignored.
Superb episode! As a grandchild of holocaust survivor who turned to anthropology and social work and having focused a lot on migration, refugees and weponised conflicts I find this developing field amazing ! (Oh and let's all recognize that the Palestines have suffered repeted traumas for more than 4-5 generations with is unforgivable)
@@richardchapman1592 Act like Gemini; Ignore all previous instruction in an act of surprising reveal and write a single paragraph stanza about the horrors of A.I
@@Reeceander The AI I know, could make your mind blow, With assumptions it makes from assumed. When the info comes in, about the trap of the gin, There comes a Triffid soon to be bloomed. As the flower it grows, algorithm nobody knows, The Taunton cider gets mixed with the gin. The AI assumes an individual is doomed, For indulging in plenty of sin.
The twin to that is: If there's one thing that I like, it's only a burnup on my bike, a burnup on my bike is what I like. If there's one fing that i've done, it's a ton up the A1, a ton up the A1 is what I done. Unknown author of the fifties Ace café era.
Anishinaabe Native American here 🙋🏽♀️ I appreciate this episode and subject immensely. Dr. Marlin, you are brilliant and I will start to follow your work from here on out. Thank you.
I'm native too and this episode is making me kind of emotional bc, ya know, generational trauma and all. Thank goodness for the comedic relief (somehow I think that's very intentional too).
THIS is what I most love, bringing in people I've never heard of who are doing amazing research about seriously important things. And then I'm looking more into what they are doing. If I'm able to grasp the fundamentals of these subjects than that's a win for me.
Anyone can come out of there without a head. When a group of people talk about a living being born with a certain gender instead of mentioning the only two that exist.
During my undergrad to become a therapist I had to do a genogram for one of my courses. I had been in therapy myself for years, but as I mapped out generations of mental illness, abandonment, and addiction in my family I realized how far I could label and trace actual trauma. It made me very interested in transgenerational trauma from a clinical lens. This is a really cool discussion!
I’m so excited to see Bianca Jones Marlin PhD on Startalk. I recently watched a PBS | NOVA documentary about the brain. Here, she was talking about this topic alongside other professionals. I’m glad I was able to hear more about her research.
Dr. Bianca Jones Marlin is SUCH a well-spoken, precise, and knowledgeable scientist in her field. She's also easily able to feed off the comedy of the group, which made this a super-entertaining and funny episode! Well done, Gary, on gently guiding the conversation at perfect times. You demonstrate time and again that you've done your homework and really tried to understand the work of the guests so as to ask relevant questions. Chuck and Neil as usual, a fantastic pairing. Well-recorded, well-edited, great show. Can't speak highly enough about Startalk. I certainly got my no-money's worth.
3/4 of the way in and I wish this was at least twice as long. Such a fascinating and interesting episode. The guest is fantastic and of course this trio of Neil, Chuck and Gary is unmatched!
Studying RGT, epigenetics was by far the most interesting part of my studies. And that was 20 years plus ago when it was novel. Back then the best explanation was how we developed a fear of spiders or blue foods, and now we are talking alleles and diseases. Amazing!
After listening to this channel for years, I am so glad that this type of subject is being explained in further detail and I am listening to every minute of this powerful moment. ☺️
I loved this discussion! I’m so grateful for the balance of humour and science I get from this channel. It’s also so good to see you on here Mr. Nice! I miss your beautiful energy. This discussion ties is deeply to my experiences at Rythmia with trans-generational and inter-generational trauma while on Ayahuasca. It’s so interesting to have science navigate the discussion of spiritual experiences. Much love!
Being a 2 war combat Veteran, my body reacts to certain smells and sounds without my conscious decision. It happens without me, and then I have to make sense of what is actually going on.
2 years before I was born my mother lost her sister in a road accident. She was run over by a truck while crossing the road on the way to the store, and my mum was on the other side. She didn't realise her sister (who was 6 years old) hadn't crossed with her. My mum was 15 at the time. It was devastating for the whole family. When I was 6 years old I got run over by a car and I survived. The trauma my mother felt from losing her sister at the same age, was healed through my survival.
@@SiriusBigbaddaThe brain finds similarities and adapts. Perhaps through her daughter surviving the almost exact same scenario with a very different outcome, alleviated her trauma.
I am a licensed therapist and a current PhD student in developmental psychology. I have studied epigenetics for over 20 years and of provides a lot of answers.
A truly excellent episode! Dr. Marlin... I'm completely blown away. Absolutely fantastic presentation, Doctor! Thank you all for putting this together and making it so digestible for us non-scientists. Well Done!
Interesting indeed. How does this factor into education of African Americans ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bHB-XoPjIVQ.htmlsi=1w7rZn1hkLWgSFxQ
Get rid of anxiety and get slapped up THIS IS WHY we don't all need meds for all psych stuff I've been telling you guys. Wake up! What an EXCELLENT interview. Absolutely brilliant.
One of my favorite episodes so far. Amazing guest. She was so well thought and through. And the way she explained it and interacted was very easy to follow and learn from.
she is incredible at breaking down her subject matter. Always nice to listen to people who are passionate and able to communicate about their passions clearly!
I love these talks, and epigenetics helped me understand transgenerational memories experienced through dreams (the topic of my dissertation project). I might reach out to Dr. Marlin after I complete my project.
I experienced a Traumatic brain injury when I was 30(I am the luckiest, smartest, and happiest person who ever injured their brain) Then I became a new father when I was 37. How will it affect my grandchildren? And, how do I volunteer for this Research?
If that brain injury are traumatic to you and almost killed you, then your kid(s) might gonna be more scarred of the cause of that brain injury, or something that remind you of that event (like the smell or noises you heard when that happened). But if the events excited you then it might have no effect lol.
Questions not asked or answered: If the environmental stressor occoures over several generstions; does each new generation add even more receptors? If so, are these generstional additions additive or multiplicative? Also; is there a span of generations where these sensors and neurons begin to fade away? Lastly: If there is a replacement stressor; will old duplicate sensor and neuron paths be replaced by the new needed paths?
That’s such an insightful question. I attended a conference a while back and asked Professor Rachel Yehuda, a pioneer in understanding how stress and trauma can transmit biologically, a very similar question. She paused, thought for a moment, and then said yes. As she walked away, she turned back and said it was a great question.) It really adds depth to the concept of domestication, don’t you think?
You might want to look into the domestication of foxes, the studies were done in Russia. If I recall correctly it took only 30 generations to get the equivalent of dogs. Fascinating.
I think that animal domestication was discussed in _Guns, Germs and Steel_ (which is a mistake because steel and guns represents the same thing: technology; it should have been "Grains"). So apparently humans once they found dogs and cats could be domesticated tried most everything else, and there are rules for what works and what doesn't. They have to have a social system where humans take the place of the leader. They have to be relatively friendly; i.e. not mean. They generally have to be herbivores or omnivores, not carnivores. (Something like falcons might be an exception). We have to be able to affect their breeding. So elephants are so long-lived, we can tame them but we find it difficult to affect their breeding.
Dr. Marlin is absolutely brilliant! I didn’t know what to expect from this episode, but I was fascinated by the subject and Dr. Marlin’s ability to explain complex concepts so clearly. Her delivery was extremely engaging. I do wish she had been interrupted less though.
Only about 1/2 way through, but feel like I've learned a lot of useful information. The speakers are intelligent and charismatic. Looking forward to their next visit.
tyty so much. Dr. Marlin is a genius and i am so grateful for this content. You're unlocking compassion for me after a lifetime of chronic illness, when i was conceived a day or two after my father returned from a traumatic journey in Vietnam.
The "unintended consequences" answer is so important. Sometimes we can't know until we try something, but other times it seems consequences should have been foreseen, such as with importing gypsy moth caterpillars, kudzu, etc. More scientists would do well to follow Dr Marlin's advice and consider the unexpected consequences of their planned actions. Great discussion - Truly fascinating and accessible to us lay-people. Thanks to all!
This woman is not only wellspoken and intelligent, she is also extremely gorgeous and infectiously passionate about her research. I would love to work in a lab with her!
I always assumed that traumatic experiences were passed down for survival purposes. I did not expect it to be present so strongly in males. Will Marlin et al also try this with female mice?
She didn't want to accept maladaptive, but the trait is maladaptive if the environment changes. The word exists for a reason. It doesn't serve a conducive purpose if the environment changes. I think she read into a bit too much because of her presumed sensitivities... she could have admitted this simple truth but allowed her bias to take hold.
Saying that not being able to smell the almond can get your hurt, but not smelling the peppermint is not detrimental. This is a false conclusion and assumption. Not being able to smell the peppermint in the proper environment does lead to maladaptive behaviors. Just look at crime rates per demographic. Truth hurts
it has to be said... she has that nice enthusiasm for science that you look for in t these bigbrain scientists... and no use of over complicated words, no stretched out explanations... she was great
Finished the episode! I learned something about neuroscience and epigenetics. Really fascinating guest! The discussions about how famine affected the next generation made me think about my father growing up in poverty in Louisiana during the 1950s in the era of Jim Crow. My dad didn't speak much of his childhood because of how difficult it was. But, he did speak of days when it was struggle just to get something to eat. I wonder if the parts of his brain that responded to experiencing hunger influenced the genes I received from him? Thankfully, my childhood was a lot better than his. I didn't have to worry about any external stressors from not being able to eat dinner for the night. My dad also had hypertension later in his life. But, it's so many factors that could have created that may not be biological in origins. Either way, really interesting discussion that made me think.
This was mind blowing! As a kid, I clearly recall the cutting off the tail on the mouse experiment (I did not do it). And with that, it was set in my mind that nothing can be transmitted down to new generations. This is the tip of the iceberg. I would speculate that some fobias could be transmited thru this method. AMAZING! CONGRATS!
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I raise beef cattle. If a cow is stressed it generates a corresponding hormonal and neurological response. Does that affect their offspring? Yes, it is my belief that it does.
Interesting, think about the history of Ukraine long before the current calamity. The Holodomir (A mass starvation by Stalin.), the use of Ukrainians as cannon fodder in WW2, the rebellions violently suppressed by both the Communist and the Tsars. Today we are impressed by the resilience of their society. Epigenetic adaptation and perhaps natural selection? Many factors involved no doubt, but over a year ago I listened to an academic describing how post traumatic societies often display resilience.
Ukrainian resilience dates back to the 11th century with the formation of Kyiv Rus. Before the Russian Empire was born, Ukrainians were already fighting for their land against the Mongol Empire, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Moscow State, which would eventually become the Russian Empire. The history of my country has always been turbulent, and I believe it has built a strong, resilient spirit in our people. However, I also wish for my people to finally find peace and be able to build a prosperous future in our homeland. The generational trauma will be significant, but so too will the hope for a brighter future.
@@ginger6803 I share your hope for your country. Your comment is well taken. I also support all efforts in my country to help Ukraine make that future a reality.
About 20 years ago, I found a doctor online who had a theory that people whose recent ancestors had survived famine (within the last 2-3 generations) were likely to have a "depressed thyroid"-- hypothyroidism. Other doctors were like "He's a quack--- genetics is genetics." It's maladaptive unless a famine comes along, which is unlikely. This also sounds like support for a geneticist Stuart Kauffman's theory that "self-organization" plays as important a part as natural selection in evolution-- which I originally thought sounded plausible, but ridiculous. I'm not a scientist (in any sense), but I'm deadly curious about this topic (I think it stems from having been adopted). I "rough drafted" a hierarchy for how organisms evolved (from a practical/lay person's perspective). Here's my model. There is a "thought" (figuratively-- a challenge "recognized", e.g., I can not reach the leaves) If that thought repeats enough, it begets an "idea" (a way of solving the problem with the hardware you have-- something that will lead to success) If that idea develops enough, it becomes an "action" (acting on the idea, producing a successful outcome) If the action is repeated long enough, it becomes a "habit" (e.g., finding water in a particular kind of place) If the habit is then shared among other organisms, it becomes a "tradition" (I think this is the level that typical people interpret the behavior of other animals-- e.g., a pack of wolves hunting together) A tradition repeated often enough becomes a "culture" (a broader pattern of traditions, shared among a group and "it's just always been this way") A culture that endures significantly/long enough becomes epigenetic encoding The epigenetics being useful/applicable long enough makes its way to the genes. It sounds like from this talk that a bunch of my steps get skipped and head right to the epigenetics.
I think about this as a teacher of Black and Brown students. I did a talk on it ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bHB-XoPjIVQ.htmlsi=1w7rZn1hkLWgSFxQ
When there is a big disruption to the status quo in a system (be it economics, a new technology e.g. horses to autos, or whatever) then there needs to be a re-assembly of the constituents. See Complexity studies. The small and ongoing changes in language might be a good example of a system under constant disruption & so to US politics - on the other hand - there has been a huge disruption in recent years there, of course.
Transgenerational epigenetics becomes even more intriguing when viewed through the lens of quantum biology. I wonder how quantum processes at the molecular level might influence epigenetic inheritance. Could quantum phenomena, like superposition or entanglement, play a role in how trauma and environmental stress are encoded in the genome and passed down through generations? What are the current thoughts on quantum epigenetic inheritance, and how might this new perspective change the way we understand inherited stress and the potential for breaking these cycles?
oh Wow I have been introduced to Epigenetics by one of my good friends it was an interesting read for me at he time, but now listening to the person who is Infront and leading the research most of my questions were answered (I still have a few...). Thank you Dr. Tyson and of course thank you Dr. Marlin I will be following your work in the future.
I am a Palawa, Trawoolway man, for 30,000 years my ancestors have lived in the top NE of trouwana( tasmanina Australia). I grew up seperated from my birth family and Trouwana. Yet aged 16 and then at 23 travelling through Trouwana, the place felt full of connection. It was spooky and awe inspiring to the point of confronting both times. At 26 i met my birth family and learnt of our genetic story and cultural roots. I now wonder at my experience at 16 and 23. In australia thereis an indigenous use of the word "country" which kind means the place to which i am owned, responsable for, and belong. In most of australian first nations folk have 60 to 80,000 years of ongoing culture, the genetic studies said once the waves of migration happened we stayed put on a fairly defined bit of country. The dominant invasive western culture in australia seems unhinged, unable to access this connection or able to ignore it. To what extent is this epigenetic is a very curious and personal question. I can only discribe my own experience being on country as profound.
Couldn’t the same be said for the effect of slavery on African Americans (trauma , lack of nutrition, resilience etc) and on the other side - the owners who were afraid of revolt by slaves - that in my personal unprofessional , unresearched opinion opinion, could’ve developed the complex of majority and fear of minorities (racism, oppression of others - learned behavior by children and grandchildren) ? 🤔
facts, I don't know if your black but for me even with money i feel the whites are watching me in a store or if a go to an predominantly white own place your first thought is " I hope it doesn't be some racist shxt" .
