Due to mass extinctions, wars and economic depressions, many generations left the Earth before it could truly realize its potential. Descendants of those generations, on the other hand, will never know what happened in the past. just didn’t see it as a memory; In fact, their whole life was formed according to this past.

This period when tensions peaked; It affected every individual in every stratum of society.

Both in our country and in the world, people’s lives are becoming more and more stressful, traumatic and sad:

For the first time in the 21st century, the whole world experienced fire without seeing fire, and war without seeing a weapon. However, fires and wars had started. No doubt what happened today will affect the future. So what does genetics say about it?

According to the results of some studies, here are the traumas and problems we experience today; biological can be passed on to the next generation! It’s not just about DNA, let’s introduce you to “epigenetics”…

According to research, changes in the environment we live in cause chemical tags to be added or removed from our DNA. These tags also turn the genes involved on and off so that we can adapt more quickly to changing circumstances. However, if the said effect persists continuously, genes become permanent; It is passed on to our children and even our grandchildren. These genes generally determine our physiological characteristics such as skin and eye color. However, the only way to transfer the traits we have to the next generation is not through DNA transfer, that is, the genetic codes we are talking about here.

Besides genetics, it is also the branch of science that examines the traits that are passed down from generation to generation. “epigenetics” it is called. According to Baha Patlar of The Tree of Evolution, the science of epigenetics examines how the effects of our environment on us are passed on to the next generation, even to our descendants over a few generations. Basically, even if our DNA doesn’t change, our “epigenomes” can.

For example, identical twins with genetically very close DNA sequences may have different characteristics because their epigenomes are different. The same goes for a grandfather and grandchild:

Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression change us biologically. These changes are also likely to be passed on to future generations:

Ali Jawaid, a neuroscientist at the University of Zurich, is one of the scientists closely following this issue. He had the opportunity to closely examine the orphans in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad and Multan who lost their parents in the wars; emotional trauma and stress disorders caused by their parents’ separation. how it affects their biological state he wondered.

According to the findings, the children in question were affected by the situation they found themselves in for so long that it was clear that they could transfer the changes they experienced to their own children. I mean, even the grandchildren of a child who lost his family in the war, no matter how good the conditions are can experience the consequences of the same trauma. A similar situation, II. It was also seen in the grandchildren of World War II Holocaust survivors, and it was discovered that their children were biologically and health-impaired, that is, they could bear the marks of a past they never experienced.

II. Descendants of World War II Holocaust survivors bear the biological scars of trauma they never saw:

Rachel Yehuda of the Icahn School of Medicine in New York, World War II. He researched the surviving descendants of 40 Holocaust survivors in World War II. According to their findings, the catalyst involved in stress hormone secretion is also found in the grandchildren of war survivors. shows a small effect. Imagine carrying the pain of your elders biologically today…

On the other hand, according to Yehuda, it is still too early to “conclusively say” whether trauma has a hereditary effect. Yehuda even emphasizes that the media greatly exaggerates and distorts these findings. Because your misleading newsstates that it affects subsequent generations at least as permanently as epigenetic effects.

We can leave a great “social legacy” to the young people who will live in 50 years:

Of course, this judgment is difficult to be certain because research into the epigenetic effects of experiences For this to happen, it is always necessary to face destructive examples. This confrontation is like walking on fire for scientists. But it needs to be explored and understood. Washington State University biologist Michael Skinner tells ScienceMag:

“If what your grandparents were exposed to changes your risk of disease, then what you are experiencing today will affect our grandchildren. This is really scary.”

According to a study conducted by Skinner on animals, epigenetic changes that occur with traumatic effects, can be passed on to several generations. If trauma causes epigenetic effects in humans, it means that other health problems, especially mental health, will be passed on to future generations as a social legacy. Previous studies and examples already show this.

How in the scientific world epigenetic effects of trauma are passed on to future generations. There is an intense effort to relieve. Somehow the findings show that the changes caused by the problems we experience today; It can also affect our grandchildren, who will live a more standard and normal life tomorrow.

Let’s end with the good news:

Like how epigenetic changes affect our biology, this how it is transmitted is deciphered, treatment will become easier. We hope that when those days come, everyone will have easier access to treatment.