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Embodied: A Look At How Social Behavior Impacts Genetics

WUNC | By Anita Rao,
Dana Terry
Published October 10, 2019 at 11:59 AM EDT

When the MacArthur Foundation notified Jenny Tung that she is a 2019 “genius grant” recipient, she was honored and humbled. The new mom has spent much of her career studying primates and how their early life impacts their overall health, life expectancy and even affects their offspring.Host Anita Rao talks with the 2019 MacArthur Foundation 'genius grant' recipient Jenny Tung.

In a recent report that Tung co-authored, research showed that early trauma in a mother baboon meant a shorter lifespan for her offspring. This research was conducted as part of the Amboseli Baboon Research Project, which has been studying baboons in Kenya for nearly 50 years. Tung first came to Duke University as an undergraduate two decades ago. Today she is an associate professor in the departments of biology and evolutionary anthropology there. She joins host Anita Rao as part of Embodied, a series about sex, relationships and your health.

A Closer Look At Jenny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0bYUENyBAQ&feature=youtu.be

Jenny Tung, a 2019 MacArthur Genius Grant recepient.
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Jenny Tung, a 2019 MacArthur Genius Grant recepient.
Tung out in the field.
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Tung out in the field.

Copyright 2019 North Carolina Public Radio
Anita Rao
Anita Rao is the host and creator of "Embodied," a live, weekly radio show and seasonal podcast about sex, relationships & health. She's also the managing editor of WUNC's on-demand content. She has traveled the country recording interviews for the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps production department, founded and launched a podcast about millennial feminism in the South, and served as the managing editor and regular host of "The State of Things," North Carolina Public Radio's flagship daily, live talk show. Anita was born in a small coal-mining town in Northeast England but spent most of her life growing up in Iowa and has a fond affection for the Midwest.
See stories by Anita Rao
Dana Terry
Dana is an award-winning producer who began as a personality at Rock 92. Once she started creating content for morning shows, she developed a love for producing. Dana has written and produced for local and syndicated commercial radio for over a decade. WUNC is her debut into public radio and she’s excited to tell deeper, richer stories.
See stories by Dana Terry