Several media outlets reported on a study from UBC which suggests that children subjected to abuse may carry “molecular scars.” Researchers found the effects of trauma were indelibly printed on the DNA of those in the study who had been victims of varying levels of abuse.
The Daily Telegraph and the New Zealand Herald quoted Michael Kobor, a professor of medical genetics at UBC: “Methylation is starting to be viewed as a potentially useful tool in criminal investigations for example, by providing investigators with an approximate age of a person who left behind a sample of their DNA.”
Nicole Gladish, a PhD candidate at UBC’s department of medical genetics, told AFP that the findings could provide information about how childhood abuse affects long-term physical and mental health.
The story also appeared in Star Vancouver, the Irish Sun and Yahoo.
