Evolutionary theory has accustomed us to thinking of our genes as stable and essentially unchanging. Genetic change takes place over generations through mutations that give the bearer a competitive advantage in a specific environment. Genes are what we inherit from our parents and pass on to our children. But the emerging field of human social genomics looks at how environmental factors — low socio-economic status, stress, or pollution, for example — can influence our genes over the course of our lives. […]

Categories: Catherine Vigier, ZiR • Tags: genetics, health, inequality, science, stress