Research Ethics and Policy Series (REPS): Daphne Oluwaseun Martschenko, PhD. "The Acid We Inherit: Social and Behavioral Genomics in the Context of an Ugly History and Uncertain Future"

The Acid We Inherit: Social and Behavioral Genomics in the Context of an Ugly History and Uncertain Future

Daphne Oluwaseun Martschenko, PhD

Assistant Professor
Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics

Social and behavioral genomics (SBG) uses molecular, genome-wide data, to examine whether and how genetic differences between individuals shape differences in characteristics and outcomes such as same-sex sexual behavior and educational attainment. The field is the ongoing subject of polarizing debate and controversy. While claims regarding genetic differences in behavior have long been used to justify social inequalities, misguided and harmful genetic myths continue today – wielded by White supremacists, academic researchers, and high-profile public figures who cite recent genomic studies as evidence to support their beliefs. Meanwhile, social and behavioral genomic data are increasingly available to consumers via direct-to-consumer genetic testing and polygenic embryo selection. This talk argues that the ethical and socially responsible conduct and translation of social and behavioral genomics calls for a full accounting of ‘the acid we inherit’: a dual inheritance process through which DNA and harmful myths about DNA get passed down from one generation to the next.

Lunch provided.
Streaming available via Zoom.