This is a super clear instance of epigenetic influence on DNA.
We are the grandchildren and great grandchildren of people who lived through this time.
One of the studies I read, about this generation, is that the DNA changes caused by epigenetic pressure caused many of their children to be prone to obesity.
Almost as if the genes were prepared for hardship and famine.
The children's bodies stored more fat than their parents, and the grandchildren were often not affected as long as the hardship and famine were not felt by their parents generation.
We have so much to understand about how the lives of our ancestors affect our lives, today.
GoldenEst82 t1_iy7vy5e wrote
Reply to How the Great Depression shaped people’s DNA. Researchers have found that the cells of people who were conceived during the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to 1939 and, at its height, saw about 25% of the US workforce unemployed, show signs of accelerated ageing. by MistWeaver80
This is a super clear instance of epigenetic influence on DNA. We are the grandchildren and great grandchildren of people who lived through this time.
One of the studies I read, about this generation, is that the DNA changes caused by epigenetic pressure caused many of their children to be prone to obesity.
Almost as if the genes were prepared for hardship and famine.
The children's bodies stored more fat than their parents, and the grandchildren were often not affected as long as the hardship and famine were not felt by their parents generation.
We have so much to understand about how the lives of our ancestors affect our lives, today.