Amsterdam – Dr. Abdel Abdellaoui, a prominent geneticist, recently announced the publication of a new paper in Nature Human Behaviour that delves into the intricate relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and DNA. The study, co-authored with Karin J. H. Verweij and Hilary C. Martin, explores the historical, current, and future dimensions of scientific research concerning how individuals are sorted into different levels of SES within civilizations.
Dr. Abdellaoui, affiliated with institutions including the Human Genetics Programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, highlighted the paper's scope in a recent tweet: > "In every civilization, people end up sorted into levels of socio-economic status (SES). We explore the history, present, and future of scientific research on the complicated relationship between SES and DNA in @NatureHumBehav 💰🧬🎓"
The research synthesizes genomic evidence to demonstrate the link between SES and heredity. It posits that social stratification can inadvertently create selection pressures, leading to individuals clustering in distinct environments based on socio-economic factors. This phenomenon, the authors explain, has significant implications for genetic architectures and the perpetuation of social inequality. Previous work by Abdellaoui has also shown how genetic correlates of SES influence patterns of shared heritability across traits.
The paper further elaborates on the observation that SES tends to cluster within families and across geographical regions, and is robustly associated with genetic effects. By reviewing the history of scientific inquiry into the relationship between SES and heredity, the study provides a comprehensive overview of how genetic factors interact with environmental and social structures. This includes examining how genetic variants can correlate with socio-economic outcomes, such as educational attainment.
The findings underscore the complex interplay between genetic predispositions and societal structures in shaping an individual's socio-economic trajectory. The authors emphasize the ongoing need for improved methodologies and data collection strategies to fully understand these associations. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of human behavior and societal stratification, urging continued exploration into the dynamic relationship between genetics and socio-economic outcomes.