进入查看： 2022-2023年英语周报八年级第39期答案汇总

 

A growing body of research is revealing associations between birth defects(缺陷) and a father's age, alcohol use and environmental factors, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center. They say these defects result from epigenetic changes that can potentially affect multiple generations.

The study, published in the American Journal of Stem Cells, suggest both parents contribute to the health status of their offspring------a common sense conclusion which science is only now beginning to demonstrate, says the study's senior investigator, Joanna Kitlinska, PhD, an associate professor in biochemistry, and molecular and cellular biology.

“We know the nutritional, hormonal and psychological environment provided by the mother permanently influences organ structure, cellular response and gene expression in her offspring,” she says.

“But our study shows the same thing to be true with fathers— his lifestyle, and how old he is, can be reflected in molecules that control gene function,” she says. “In this way, a father can affect not only his immediate offspring, but future generations as well.”

For example, a newborn can be diagnosed with fetal(胎儿的) alcohol spectrum disorder(FASD), even though the mother has never consumed alcohol, Kitlinska says. “Up to 75 percent of children with FASD have biological fathers who are alcoholics, suggesting that preconceptual paternal alcohol consumption negatively impacts their offspring.”