CBS News reports on a UCSF-led study by Dr. Esteban Burchard published in eLIFE revealing that culture and environment shape our DNA more than previously understood. The research found that roughly 25% of gene expression differences between Mexican and Puerto Rican children are tied to social and cultural experiences, not ancestry. CBS highlights this as evidence that race and ethnicity influence biology through lived experience—underscoring the need to factor in social context in medical research.
Read more here: CBS News – Culture etched on our DNA
Associated Publications:
- J Galanter et al. Differential methylation between ethnic sub-groups reflects the effect of genetic ancestry and environmental exposures. eLife 6:e20532. Jan 3, 2017. doi: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.20532.