RUTH
Nature vs. Nurture
In this episode of The DNA Download, Halleta meets Dr. Ruth Tennen, who unpacks some of the most commonly asked questions – Is it nature or nurture? Was I born this way? How much do our genes influence who we are?

Key words: heritability, environment, lifestyle, genetics, DNA

Ruth Tennen, PhD is a Product Scientist at 23andMe. Ruth develops engaging scientific content for 23andMe’s genetic reports. Ruth received her Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Princeton and her Ph.D. in cancer biology from Stanford, where she shared her love of science by teaching hands-on classes to students at local schools, hospitals, and museums and by blogging on the San Jose Tech Museum’s website. After grad school, Ruth worked as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the State Department, helping promote science education and entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa. Before coming to 23andMe, Ruth served as a teaching fellow in the Thinking Matters program at Stanford, teaching courses on experimental design, bioethics, and cancer.

In her work at 23andMe, Ruth critically evaluates the scientific literature to identify exciting new report topics for our customers, and she develops compelling and accurate scientific content for those reports. Ruth is excited about helping people learn more about genetics, through 23andMe’s reports and through its educational initiatives!