Roxanne Khamsi

So I think it's important to understand that the cell in my toe, for example, is not the same as the cell in my brain genetically.

And I like the idea of having a mosaic in mind because when we think about a mosaic, those pieces form a coherent whole.

But when you look at them individually and compare them, there are slight differences.

And I think that you can look at the human body the same way.

Our cells are different.

similar in that they're all working to make us, you know, sing a song or lift a spoon to our mouth.

But at the individual level, there are differences, and some of those differences can be meaningful.

It's a really interesting question, and I think this speaks to why I wrote this book.

I want people to understand that genetic disease is not always something that is inherited.

It's something that can spontaneously develop in us.

Now, if you inherit a mutation, say for a sickle cell or cystic fibrosis or Tay-Sachs,

that mutation is found in all the cells of your body.

But if a spontaneous genetic DNA error occurs, it is only in some of the cells of your body, going back to that idea of mosaic.

That being said, you can still develop a genetic disease that is full-blown if it develops early enough in your life.

Also, if it develops later, but in an important cell, say in your brain,

you could have a genetic disease that affects you profoundly.

So we're talking about scientists now understanding that spontaneous DNA errors can cause epilepsy, autism.

There's a long list of common diseases that can be caused by genetic errors that spontaneously occur.

Yeah, definitely.

So when I tell people that I'm interested in this, they often ask, so are you writing about epigenetics?