We often think of trauma as something personal or a experience that we eventually move on from. But what if the effects of trauma don’t stop with you?

New research suggests that trauma can leave lasting biological marks on your DNA, potentially passing down emotional and psychological scars across generations. This emerging field of science, known as epigenetics, explores how intense stress, grief, or hardship can alter how genes are expressed, without changing the genetic code itself.

Dr Tara Lyn Camilleri, a researcher of transgenerational effects at Monash University, joins to unpack the layered and complex science of trauma.