[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it all came to life
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a dark bar in Madrid.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I encountered my colleague\Nfrom McGill, Michael Meaney.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we were drinking a few beers,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and like scientists do,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he told me about his work.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he told me that he is interested
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in how mother rats
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,lick their pups
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after they were born.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I was sitting there and saying,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this is where my tax dollars are wasted,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on this kind of soft science.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And started telling me
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that when the rats, like humans,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,lick their pups in very different ways.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some mothers do a lot of that,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some mothers do very little,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and most are in between.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what's interesting about it
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is when he follows these pups\Nwhen they become adults,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like years in human life,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,long after their mother died,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they are completely different animals.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The animals that were licked\Nand groomed heavily,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the high licking and grooming,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are not stressed.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They have different sexual behavior.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They have a different way of living
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than those that were not treated
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as intensively by their mothers.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So then I was thinking to myself,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is this magic?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How does this work?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Us geneticists would like you to think
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,perhaps the mother had\Nthe bad mother gene
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that caused her pups to be stressful,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then it was passed\Nfrom generation to generation.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's all determined by genetics.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or is it possible that something else
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is going on?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So in rats we can ask this question
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and answer it.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what we did is\Na cross-fostering experiment.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You essentially separate the litter,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the babies of this rat, at birth,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to two kinds of fostering mothers,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not the real mothers,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but mothers that will take care of them,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,high-licking mothers\Nand low-licking mothers.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you can do the opposite\Nwith the low-licking pups.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the remarkable answer was,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it wasn't important
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what the gene you got from your mother.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was not the biological mother\Nthat defined this property
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of these rats.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is the mother that\Ntook care of the pups.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So how can this work?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I am an a epigeneticist.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I am interested
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in how genes are marked by a chemical mark
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,during embryogenesis, during the time\Nwe're in the womb of our mothers,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and decide which gene will be expressed
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in what tissue.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Different genes are expressed in the brain\Nthan in the liver and the eye.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we thought, is it possible
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the mother is somehow
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reprogramming the gene of her offspring
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,through her behavior?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we spent 10 years,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we found that there is\Na cascade of biochemical events
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by which the licking and grooming\Nof the mother, the care of the mother
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is translated to biochemical signals
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that go into the nucleus and into the DNA
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and program it differently.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So now the animal can\Nprepare itself for life.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is life going to be harsh?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is there going to be a lot of food?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Are there going to be a lot\Nof cats and snakes around,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or will I live in an upper\Nclass neighborhood
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where all I have to do\Nis behave well and proper
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that will gain me social acceptance?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And now one can think about\Nhow important that process can be
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for our lives.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We inherit our DNA from our ancestors.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The DNA is old.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It evolved during evolution.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it doesn't tell us if you are going\Nto be born in Stockholm,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where the days are long in the summer\Nand short in the winter,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or in Ecuador, where equal number\Nof hours for day and night
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all year round.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that has such an enormous amount\Non our physiology.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what we suggest is perhaps\Nwhat happens early in life,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,those signals that come through the mother
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tell the child
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what kind of social world\Nyou're going to be living in.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It will be harsh, and you'd better\Nbe anxious and be stressful,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or it's going to be an easy world,\Nand you have to be different.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is it going to be a world\Nwith a lot of light or little light?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is it going to be a world\Nwith a lot of food or little food?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If there's no food around,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you'd better develop your brain\Nto binge whenever you see a meal,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or store every piece of food\Nthat you have as fat.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this is good.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Evolution has selected this
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to allow our fixed, old DNA
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to function in a dynamic way
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in new environments.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But sometimes things can go wrong.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, if you're born\Nto a poor family,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the signals are, "You'd better binge.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You'd better eat every piece of food\Nyou're going to encounter."
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But now we humans\Nand our brain have evolved,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have changed evolution even faster.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now you can buy a McDonald's
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for one dollar.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And therefore, the preparation
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we had
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by our mothers
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is turning to be maladaptive.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The same preparation that was\Nsupposed to protect us
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from hunger and famine
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is going to cause obesity,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cardiovascular problems,\Nand metabolic disease.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this concept that genes\Ncould be marked by our experience,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and especially the early life experience,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can provide us a unifying explanation
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of both health and disease.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But is true only for rats?
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The problem is, we cannot\Ntest this in humans,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because ethically, we cannot\Nadminister child adversity
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a random way.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if a poor child develops\Na certain property,
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we don't know whether this is caused
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by poverty
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or whether poor people have bad genes.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So geneticists will try to tell you\Nthat poor people are poor
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because their genes make them poor.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Epigeneticists will tell you
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,poor people are in a bad environment\Nor an impoverished environment
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that creates that phenotype,\Nthat property.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we moved to look
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into our cousins, the monkeys.
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My colleague Steven Soomey