This story seems to implicitly assume that damage to ancestors must mean damage to offspring, when in fact some of the epigenetic results suggest the opposite c

This story seems to implicitly assume that damage to ancestors must mean damage to offspring, when in fact some of the epigenetic results suggest the opposite can also be true. That is, stress to ancestors can trigger changes which benefit offspring. A multigenerational study in Sweden found that when men experienced famine at a key young age, their grandchildren lived significantly longer, even after controlling for other factors. (OTOH, I believe the result was reversed for grandmothers.) Some coverage of that research: Radioloab podcast: http://www.radiolab.org/story/251885-you-are-what-your-grandpa-eats/ http://www.radiolab.org/story/251885-you-are-what-your-grand... Related book excerpt: http://io9.com/how-an-1836-famine-altered-the-genes-of-children-born-d-1200001177 http://io9.com/how-an-1836-famine-altered-the-genes-of-child...