
Health Report - Separate stories podcast How much is nature vs nurture?
Dec 5, 2025
In a fascinating discussion, Loic Yengo, a statistical genomics researcher at the University of Queensland, dives into the age-old debate of nature versus nurture. He reveals insights from a major study on 34 traits, showing that genetics may explain around 30% of our characteristics, while environment plays a surprisingly significant role. Yengo highlights how new genomic approaches contrast with traditional twin studies and emphasizes the importance of understanding these dynamics for disease prediction and social equity.
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A Family Debate On Nature Versus Nurture
- Norman Swan and Loic Yengo discuss the age-old nature versus nurture debate as a family topic.
- Norman notes twin studies historically informed accepted proportions of genetic influence.
Genomic Studies Lower Heritability Estimates
- Genomic data gives lower heritability estimates than twin studies for many traits.
- Whole-genome analyses suggest genes explain about 30% of variation on average across 34 traits.
Heritability Differs Strongly By Trait
- Heritability varies widely by trait, from under 10% to about 70%.
- Height shows ~70% genetic contribution while fertility traits show under 10%.

