Sunday Lecture – Epigenetics: The Missing Link in the Nature/Nurture Dichotomy?

We have known for many years that the environment (nurture) communicates with our genetic information (nature) to create the great complexity of life on earth and of human health and disease in the widest senses. In the past few years scientists have begun to unravel the molecule mechanisms underlying this relationship. These are critically dependent on reversible modifications to our DNA known as epigenetic changes. These epigenetic changes influence an enormous variety of processes from the creation of all the cell types in a human body to the increased risk of mental health disorders in adults who were neglected as children. As our mechanistic understanding increases what are the implications for concepts such as individual responsibility and free will in human behaviour?; Nessa Carey is the author of The Epigenetics Revolution. She is a former academic at Imperial College in London and has worked for over a decade in innovative drug discovery in a variety of pharmaceutical and biotech companies.; Open to all. No need to book in advance.