[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.