Ancestral ghosts in your genome | Michael Skinner | TEDxRainier

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. This fascinating and consequential talk shares research that is changing and expanding what we know about genomics to include the factors that are collectively known as epigenetics. These factors show a form of biological inheritance that is new to our theories of evolution and is shifting the understanding of how our environments influence the genes of future generations.
Michael Skinner’s research has demonstrated that environmental toxicants promote epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adult onset diseases. This non-genetic form of inheritance has a role in disease etiology and areas such as evolution. Skinner established the Washington State University and University of Idaho Center for Reproductive Biology (CRB), one of the world's largest reproductive sciences research centers. Dr. Skinner also established and was the founding Director of the Center for Integrated Biotechnology (CIB). His research has been highlighted in BBC, Smithsonian, and PBS documentaries.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@MontieMongoose]

Thanks to this Indiana Jones cosplayer for this great explanation of epigenetics.

[@Briget6]

🤣

[@AlejandroPerez-ub4ws]

This is one of the best Ted Talks ever

[@littlemrpinkness295]

That is fascinating! We are learning more all the time about genetics. I love hearing about how you can inherit a trait, but the environment can influence how that trait is expressed. And that environmental factors can be wired into your DNA and passed on. DNA is much more clever that we ever gave it credit for.

[@MsKariSmith]

The more we learn, the more we realize that there is sooo much more to learn! Great talk!

[@DavidSmith-sf4rl]

So true.

[@thinwolf4516]

so to study genetics without epigenetics is incomplete.

[@Niamato_inc]

This is just mind boggling stuff. Science is amazing. Thank you Mr Skinner and everyone involved in these findings.

[@tonitouchberry894]

My family was raised in the Florida Everglades and the planes would start spraying DDT before they got to my house to spray the fields behind us! I'm 74 and many of my classmates have died of cancers and other odd diseases! I'm the oldest and so far so good BUT my middle sister has a blood cancer that produces too many red blood cells! She also has had 3 different kinds of skin cancers removed! My youngest sister has a rare blood disease that is like hemophilia! Her bones are deteriorating and she is going blind! And she had a skin cancer removed!! What is it going to take for people to get it! The poison we're spraying on our crops is going into our stomachs. Into every cell of our bodies! Think about that the next time you sit down to dinner with the people you love!!

[@cliffbowls]

Used to hear stories about a guy in my area shooting at a plane with a rifle for that exact reason

[@aurelienyonrac]

@@cliffbowls hero

[@aurelienyonrac]

So, no GMO for you.

[@awonderingoneil206]

why are you shouting!!! in door voices please.

[@redredkroovy]

Daddy and I sprayed ddt for many years He died 24yrs ago . I've had skin cancer for nearly 30 yrs, since age 26.

[@avimae4225]

Dr. Bruce Lipton has some great info on Epigenetics. Over 30 years ago Dr Lipton was doing stem cell research. He also taught at Medical School. He realized that what they were teaching was wrong.

[@cherilynnfisher5658]

This is AWESOME! Explains so much! Thank you!

[@NavajoNinja]

You are your Mother, until your Father comes along. Now You're an extention of these 2 Beings. Don't hate Your Parents, YOU ARE THEM.

[@joannthomases9304]

Wow such an informative ton of information, made so thorough and understandable !! Amazing how he laid that out in such an interesting way to make us absorb a really complex subject 15 minutes and almost worth half a year in school !! Great layout for understanding. Such an easygoing guy. I was very interested and thought I'd never get this, but he really made it all make sense to us. Really great talk. Loved it!!

[@gretagatita]

excellent explanation in lay persons language. an important insight into humanities disfunction today.

[@tylermerlin8320]

Extremely enjoyed how well you explained it

[@inthekitchen8842]

Love this. It gives humanity hope.

[@jasonhenkel6247]

Great video... epigenetics is a fascinating frontier. Michael’s Indiana Jones giddy up is fitting. He’s an explorer doing the work on this stuff. Love it!

[@briannacooper2628]

Thank you for this! I learned quite a bit and appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

[@arash4712]

Well explained in an easily understandable way. Like the style too!

[@SaurierDNA]

What makes me wonder is the flowering of certain bamboo species across the world at exactly the same time once in twenty years. So the plant does not flower for 19 years or so and then all of a sudden al over the world its starts a short flowering period exactly at the same time. Wow, great mystery.

[@greengorillah]

Great talk. While the speaker focused on humans (who might be saved with preventative medicine), the chemical pollution could also cause widespread disease in plants and animals through the same epigenetic mechanism.

[@joannedeal3418]

Very interesting and very well explained!

[@joannegarofalo3556]

Thank you Dr Skinner...very strong information!....cool hat👍

[@robintripp8164]

That's great information, it's a pity though that the 'powers' that be really don't want people to live longer, unless of course expensive drugs can be 'provided' for them throughout their lifetime.

[@victorriceroni8455]

I keep waiting for him to talk about velociraptors.

[@acidsunrise]

Excellent.Thanks.

[@tranchiegarvin6878]

Thank you Mr. Skinner for making the subject of Epigenetics accesable. Sir are you by chance related to B.F. Skinner?:)

[@lexibray10]

No he isnt! (I know this because he is my husband's uncle)

[@blarmosanchez2593]

@@lexibray10 good. BF Skinner sucked

[@winewoman224]

This is a clear explanation of how alcoholism is passed generationally. I grew up in an alcoholic environment with both parents,I became a functioning alcoholic, my children have addictive personalities as well. Just as you can inherit something, you too can work to rebalance your life to overcome your genetics.

[@EvaLasta]

"Addictive personalities" lol thats such a psuedoscientific term

[@ingridedisen7802]

good talk

[@patriciahurst3180]

These poisons being sprayed are killing the beetles, worms, etc., which are required to aerate the ground so plants can grow.

[@wiii432]

Mind blown.

[@l.a.raustadt518]

Interesting as I try to understand my sarcoidosis , enviromental could have a large contribution . Good vid.

[@gallomphrattlebone329]

Great information! Thank you so much :)))

[@dawnemile4974]

I noticed jet fuel as one of the toxicants. How does one eradicate such a popular but harmful environmental factor?

[@NutmegRose]

My grandfather survived the Spanish Flu and I’ve always been curious how that DNA has affected his progeny.

[@dorothylanasa6074]

My grandfather kept a juniper berry in his mouth, Mom said, during the flues of early 1900's,

[@juliawitt3813]

This has been well known to ancient vedic scholars....... And pregnant women were removed from society and looked after. This ancient wisdom, now called the ideas of primitive people, suddenly affirmed by science...... Makes you wonder what else they are still to 'find'

[@jerryb.9754]

Sounds like this can be used to test new materials and compounds for approval or we could develop ways to modify the genome to "create" healthy individuals through gene splicing or similar technology waiting to be discovered.

[@Saxonx500]

How do you get a baseline control with their experiment? it seems that the rats line may have been predisposed to these diseases, how would they know otherwise?

[@PoviIas]

I want to breath out

[@dgrtube]

It is well known that environmental factors play a dominant role in the expression of some genes which explains the differences. In biology it is well known that the phenotype (what is expressed) is an interaction with the genotype (genetic) and environmental factors. The kind of response a set of genes express could ofcourse be again a genetic factor.

[@classicrocklover5615]

His hat is a safety shield, like podiums are to some speakers.

[@patod4]

yeah...it upset me to see his eyes in the shade all the time... an otherwise super interesting chat.

[@oscarmaturana6222]

It made his talk more intriguing.

[@branscoffield2434]

Dan Winter's The Purpose of DNA (if you think this is great info watch that!).

[@Efrain891]

Where do you get a genetics test done to screen for susceptibility to certain diseases?

[@stanzim7612]

TheLife96 23&me or you can take a test with Ancestry or other companies and transfer the raw data to Promethease and for a small fee they will run a detailed test of your health and carrier status

[@reglagirl5802]

In the beginning of his talk he introduces the significance of frequency in the mix of this and it never addresses it or explains it again. for example if it is frequency what drives frequency what a fix it is there’s are there controls that we don’t know about

[@catherinewilson1079]

You have confirmed my instinctive reasoning on this; we sh*t in our environment indiscriminately without thorough testing first and then wonder where our diseases come from. So what is the signature for Autism please?

[@hazzer777]

Reminds me of miller from Amazon's Expanse.

[@hidgik]

Is Dr. Micheal Skinner remotely related to Yul Brynner?

[@palecompass3598]

So, I can't clean up the epigenetics I'm passing down even if I have this info before getting pregnant?

[@mjt2231]

Exactly. I was wondering the same thing.

[@VMac-eg7fb]

Don't worry they are treating conditions by the new art of Methylation, it can force epigenetic changes, follow the presentation notes and keep in contact with the organizations mentioned, if your offspring has a problem they might offer a remedy.

[@shannonanissa]

You can. Seek an energy healer and research those types of modalities.

[@jessejames6486]

What if the offspring of the organism was exposed to the same toxins as the the parent? Would the offspring of the offspring be even more likely to contract whatever disease results from exposer to the toxin?

[@alexanderkaiser7000]

Yes.

[@femmeNikita27]

Most likely- higher immunity.

[@ryanschram7266]

Explain O negative and why it’s the least likely to get diseases, outside of Cholera lol

[@ronimogy6669]

Let’s talk about those genres which survived and replicate itdelf

[@DirtyLifeLove]

I worry that my behavior and lifestyle affected the genes of my children permanently.

[@callucks2005]

Also it will be used against the people. Who's insurance will or will not .

[@pepper419]

Yet again, before you take a prescreption from your doctor. Ask yourself; are you treating yourself properly first and are you feeding yourself properly? Do you really need that prescrscription? They can do more harm than good, especially if you're going to be stuck with it or side effects for your whole life.

[@ironalien777]

7:35 😌

[@dorothylanasa6074]

Foods, spices, nutraceuticals can change DNA sometimes. Mutations can be reversed back to the pre mutation gene. Sometimes a virus will mutate the DNA. It is important, especially before one gets pregnant imo, to eat foods that could reverse the mutation. I think this is why so many are getting autism, too many mutations over generations which are not attended to. I am not in the medical profession officially, but I have studied the scientific databases for 23 years, and recently have become interested in genes; I know very little, but here is my hunch. Honeysuckle has many unigenes, unique, non-redundant genes which can change a mutation, so does Perilla leaf (sesame) and I think coriander may be that way, too. By simple consumption in tea or coffee, appetizers, etc., these plants can change the mutation, I feel certain. Also, sirtuins (7) lodge in the brain and "constantly" goes in and repairs the DNA while in your system. Diseases can be prevented with foods too. 1/16th of a sq. inch can cell-cycle arrest nearly all germs. Take one little piece a day and in a week, depending on how many germs may be there, your urine will be germ free or on the way to be germ free. Same is true with Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Camphene (ingredients of Vicks Vapor Rub) each of the 3 will cell-cycle arrest tumors, often in a few hours or less. God Bless!

[@baselbob8012]

If epigenetic changes are not removed eventually over time wouldn't we all be full of changes on our DNA by this time in human evolution? They must 'wear off' so to speak or wouldn't we all be doomed to the diseases/conditions mentioned?

[@hash20]

You are a perfect person. Not a compliment. I want to be like you 😊

[@frankytoad12]

That... is a weird comment.

[@anyagetman8596]

If we make our kids in dishes we can pull cells for fir DNA from future placenta, then freeze. Then pick the embryos to carry to term.

[@catverric165]

Why is he dressed like Freddy Krueger tho. All so impressive, this is a fascinating area only burgeoning.

[@tutacat]

They're not dead, they're just sleeping.

[@victoriaenns9942]

M'kay

[@deluxegal923]

my dad always said cancer was hereditary in lab rats

[@kurtiscoleman8189]

Why does he sound like an actor can't place the name though

[@jdmhalo09]

It didn't start with you -read it

[@LuminitaHall]

It’s called “generational demons”. You’ve just explained the spiritual activity into a language that the physical world can understand.

[@AntzLoks1314]

El-Choctaw-lord-De-CalifasMexicoAztlan Antz-that-walks-in-sky iAnTz Cali 🐜

[@dunneyd]

I don't think that it's possible for any outside influence to have the ability to change DNA sequence whereby it's modified functionality will be inherited by any offspring by the parent with the performance altered genes.

[@tylermerlin8320]

Evidence doesn't care what you think.

[@jessicalhansoncht3318]

There’s lots of cool stuff happening with hypnosis and epigenetics.

[@strengthhonour8594]

You should look in the gut. The things that you eat and medicines affect the gut microbiome.

[@niko-laus]

there is a major increase in radiation in our environment because of atom bomb testing and reactor gaus accidents in the last 70 years please take this in to consideration

[@veridicusmaximus6010]

I would think that radiation is included in environmental factors influencing genetics.

[@femmeNikita27]

Well, coal mining also increases radiation. The same does shrinking ozon layer- more cosmic radiation gets in.

[@DANIEL-ls5ku]

You all are about to die and all you worry about is his hat. 🙄

[@bwilly4503]

Just a tad dramatic!

[@maryannowens8583]

He was blinded by the lights! Duh...

[@joybrehaut9416]

Lol

[@todddanforth8853]

You must be fun at parties.

[@DANIEL-ls5ku]

@@todddanforth8853 star of the crowd.

[@jamjunctionfm]

this is now outdated with Joe Dispenza's work

[@gregrydaniels3375]

Is Epigenetics is also applied to the mental illness of racism?

[@CocoaHerBeansness]

It's important not to see racism as the product of mental illness because it relieves racists of responsibility for their actions. They're not mentally ill, they're just taking the convenient stance of claiming their innate superiority over others in spite of all evidence to the contrary.

[@marcusbrown307]

@@CocoaHerBeansness Although you’re correct for the taking of responsibility, the subject matter still needs to be addressed as to why other ethnic groups and cultures assume superiority over another group. What is the driving process behind the actions and belief? If you don’t think it should be a mental pattern of delusional thoughts and conceit of heart as to those feeling privileged then it would be a free for all behavioral pattern with no root of explanation. Therefor it would only stem from mental deprivation coming from an inward look at other groups around you and projecting not only your outward appearance as dominant in the eyes of others, but your standards. That’s a mental issue.

[@ggrthemostgodless8713]

Eventually CRSR will take care of all of these issues.

[@ggstorm8101]

Royalty knew and didn't want intermarriage with the peasants.

[@bodybyfrankie]

How in the world Are my ancestors and being 75% above normal weight Related at all? My ancestors wouldn’t even have had enough food to become 100 pounds above normal that doesn’t make any sense at all

[@drshellkinggmailcom]

Perhaps in 20 min this was merely a summary, but he certainly left out selective pressures, which are a predominant force in both genetics and evolution; not to mention that he doesn't define “disease”. Additionally, he makes some bold leaps in his conclusions with this research, and again, this may have been a time limitation; however, most of us tend to begin with the null hypothesis and go from there. If not, perhaps he needs to rethink his steps, and return to some of his earlier work as described, which seem worthwhile, and more so without jumping to grand and sweeping generalizations as is stated in this talk, which is misleading. Otherwise, this may be harmful, even with the omissions of such issues of selective pressures, the lack of presenting control groups, drawing conclusions without asking questions, etc, etc. I could go on, but I'll spare you the agony.

[@EraCoeur]

I'm guessing that you had a hard time, "doctor", in your grad studies with Research Design and related subjects. What you say sounds good but it is actually semantically null. Of course it was a summary. That's what these talks are all about. *facepalm*

[@teampvprz]

It was so hard watching this while this dude breaths into his mic after every sentence

[@jaredw5059]

teampvprz geez you’re easily distracted.

[@jerridombrowski6017]

His loud breathing is very distracting

[@kensyskye8965]

Jerri Dombrowski he might ill....😣

[@maryannowens8583]

For crying out loud, he may be a smoker.

[@zaimahbegum-diamond1660]

What's up with the Indiana j hat?

[@MorkHalley]

Hats make science cool!

[@kensyskye8965]

zaimah Begum-Diamond I like it!

[@TheLushiene]

Doesn't look like an amazing thing, making animals sick on purpose :( 😥

[@sommermullins1418]

Isn’t this common knowledge?? 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@marijkeverlaan2315]

Yes

[@rowdeo8968]

Why wear a hat that hides your face? Indiana Jones went out years ago!

[@MorkHalley]

Seriously, even Indiana Jones didn't wear a hat when he taught in his classroom.

[@mickvonbornemann3824]

You;d think he would've noticed he was indoors & taken off his hat, people seem to have lost a lot of manners over the last few decades

[@avimae4225]

I have hyper light sensitivity. And I have spoken in front of an audience. The overhead lights are incredibly painful to my eyes. So it's either hats or sunglasses inside. This is all due to a rare orphan CNS diagnosis.

[@bobgrinshpon]

this is misleading at best

[@EraCoeur]

I think that a professor with international credentials and many published papers has more credibility than some random anus on the internet who makes unsupported claims.

[@frankytoad12]

Well he is in charge of an epigenetics journal so.. of course he is going to be biased towards epigenetic influence.

[@hybridhazza]

Hes prob a white man

[@kaitlinmorris7727]

You not getting it is not the same as it being misleading.

[@patriotpam581]

Ah, Ted Talks, some Jeffrey Epstein sponsored scientific events. Great company you smart guys keep.

[@texasflower6104]

Indiana Jones!

[@patod4]

For a future talk please take off your hat. It is very unpleasant to see your eyes and most of your face darkened by shade. The talk however, is great. Thanks so much.

[@jjRayjj5000]

this is not true because you still are what you eat watch 'Epigenetic transformation You are what your grandparents ate'

[@WhisperScully]

I wish he hadn't worn that hat. I couldn't watch the video because there's something uneasy about a speaker choses to cover his eyes. Unfortunate really because I've been obsessing on learning more about epigenetics and I guess I'll never know what his take on it is...

[@frankytoad12]

There are better explanations out there than this talk..

[@mooster47]

Try opening another tab and playing mahjong or solitaire while listening. Hint: if necessary, you can mute the tab with the game by right clicking on the tab and selecting "mute site" - a godsend in Chrome! Some people have eye diseases that make them painfully susceptible to light. I don't actually know why he wears it, but there are possible explanations. Another option might be getting up and sorting socks or taking notes while it plays in the background. I remember when we had only radio for hearing speakers in remote places.

[@kensyskye8965]

Whisper Scully omg don’t watch him...Pretend it’s radio! 😣

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

Literally just listen then...

[@d-monster4340]

Why do all this scientist all have speech impediments ?

[@shannonmarchat]

My god, that hat makes me want to turn this off in the first five seconds...

[@viktorpanko9689]

Get over it, its a hat. The talk is good.

[@VMac-eg7fb]

You missed the point of this mericalous new knowledge.

[@kensyskye8965]

shannonlatimer wow! 😏😏😏😏