Reading a scientific book out of your academic comfort zone might be a half-way challenge, but deciding to write about it is a complex and not always successful endeavour. For a number of very specific personal reasons, I am very interesting in epigenetics and the challenges that this branch of science brought to the field of genetics and biology. Clear observations and analysis are bringing a dramatic change of scientific perspective to this domain.
Why out of two identical twins, only one developed schizofrenia? At what extent the food shortages experienced by a mother during pregnancy are influencing the weight and eventual eating disorder of the teen or adult? How is trauma integrated into the genetic code?
Some of those questions are extensively answered in The Epigenetics Revolution by Nessa Carey. Although it approaches a very complicated topic, not so easy to 'translate' into a mundane, popular language, the author maintains a certain balance in terms of vocabulary and affordability. It doesn't mean that you can understand the book and its topics without a minimal to advanced knowledge about modern biology, genetics and DNA structure. For those not necessarily familiar with the topic and the terminology, I recommend to read especially Chapter 12, which is relatively easy to approach by someone with a basic scientific background.
Most of the results exposed in the book are based on extensive research and experiments using rats, but also studies on various genetical diseases or evolution of a specific pattern from mother to child. At a very great extent: 'Events that take place in the first three months of development, a stage when the foetus is very small, can affect an individual for the rest of their life'. However, the epigenetics demonstrated that cells can change metabolically and specific internal or external - for instance, smoking, stress, pollution - can distort the genetic narrative. Some areas are resistant to reprogramming, but trigger events have the potential of reproducing DNA patterns that were actually passive, in stand-by. Sometimes, a trauma underwent by the child is enough to cause 'an ateration in gene expression in the brain, which is generated or maintained (or both) by epigenetic mechamisms. These epigenetically mediated abnormalities in gene expression predispose adults to increase risk of mental illness'. It is not a cause-effect trigger however and the multiple environmental, social and family influences can avoid the actualization of the mental illness.
I've pesonally found the book very interested from both the scientific and human point of view and most probably will use the knowledge I've built by reading this book for further reading in this fascinating topic.
Rating: 4 stars
