Dalton Conley

Thanks for having me, Lynn. My pleasure.

Thanks for having me, Lynn. My pleasure.

Sure. When scientists started decoding the human genome, many assumed the nature-nurture debate was over and that soon we'd know the genetic blueprints for everything obesity, intelligence, susceptibility to chronic disease, even individual personality traits.

Sure. When scientists started decoding the human genome, many assumed the nature-nurture debate was over and that soon we'd know the genetic blueprints for everything obesity, intelligence, susceptibility to chronic disease, even individual personality traits.

Pharmaceutical companies would develop drugs that could target the handful of genes responsible for, say, arthritis or heart disease or schizophrenia. The end of illness would soon be at hand. But it wasn't that simple.

Pharmaceutical companies would develop drugs that could target the handful of genes responsible for, say, arthritis or heart disease or schizophrenia. The end of illness would soon be at hand. But it wasn't that simple.

No, there's no one gene for any of those chronic diseases that affect so many Americans. In fact, there's not even a handful of genes, much to the chagrin of the scientists who had first worked on the Human Genome Project in a few short years after the human genome was decoded in 2003. We learned a hard lesson, which is

No, there's no one gene for any of those chronic diseases that affect so many Americans. In fact, there's not even a handful of genes, much to the chagrin of the scientists who had first worked on the Human Genome Project in a few short years after the human genome was decoded in 2003. We learned a hard lesson, which is

Most things we care about, everything from height to schizophrenia to arthritis to heart disease, you name it, is highly polygenic, which means that it's not controlled by five or six genes, but it's controlled by hundreds of genes across the whole genome, thousands of locations in your chromosomes.

Most things we care about, everything from height to schizophrenia to arthritis to heart disease, you name it, is highly polygenic, which means that it's not controlled by five or six genes, but it's controlled by hundreds of genes across the whole genome, thousands of locations in your chromosomes.

That was a huge disappointment because that meant that you couldn't easily just gene edit or develop a pharmaceutical to knock down or enhance a handful of genes to fix the problem.

That was a huge disappointment because that meant that you couldn't easily just gene edit or develop a pharmaceutical to knock down or enhance a handful of genes to fix the problem.

When the human genome was decoded, there was a betting pool. How many genes are humans going to have? Lowly corn has 100,000 genes. It turned out that we had only 20,000 genes, which nobody was even close. And what that means is that those 20,000 genes are doing a lot of work

When the human genome was decoded, there was a betting pool. How many genes are humans going to have? Lowly corn has 100,000 genes. It turned out that we had only 20,000 genes, which nobody was even close. And what that means is that those 20,000 genes are doing a lot of work

In every cell in your body, you have the exact same blueprint, but your skin cells are obviously very different than your liver cells and your brain cells. So gene expression is the switching on and off of those genes in those particular cells that make a brain cell unique or different from a skin cell. Those switches, the gene expression changes.

In every cell in your body, you have the exact same blueprint, but your skin cells are obviously very different than your liver cells and your brain cells. So gene expression is the switching on and off of those genes in those particular cells that make a brain cell unique or different from a skin cell. Those switches, the gene expression changes.

are also affected by the environment, which is a very exciting area of research as well. So if you have a lot of stress in your life, genes for cortisol receptors are going to be switched off, for example, because you've had too much stress for too long. So yes, it's a way that the environment comes under our skin and affects how our genes work.

are also affected by the environment, which is a very exciting area of research as well. So if you have a lot of stress in your life, genes for cortisol receptors are going to be switched off, for example, because you've had too much stress for too long. So yes, it's a way that the environment comes under our skin and affects how our genes work.

Exactly. And it's usually not an on-off switch. I should say it's more like a dimmer, but in certain cells or in certain conditions, certain times of life, you'll produce more of this genius protein or less of it. And it's usually not just completely off or completely on.

Exactly. And it's usually not an on-off switch. I should say it's more like a dimmer, but in certain cells or in certain conditions, certain times of life, you'll produce more of this genius protein or less of it. And it's usually not just completely off or completely on.