Editorials in 2018

Well-designed science education via social media may help to reach a larger group of audiences with the aim of reducing the boundaries between researchers and the public. This may, in turn, move basic science toward translational improvement in human health and agriculture.

We are inviting presubmission enquiries for Articles, Perspectives and Analyses on human, animal, plant and microbial genetics and genomics from Africa, by corresponding authors living and working in African countries, with the aim of publishing an issue of the journal devoted to African genetics.

A number of journalistic reports over the last year have drawn attention to dismaying trends in maternal and fetal health in the United States, particularly among African Americans. This public health crisis highlights the need for research into the genetic basis of maternal–fetal health and consideration of the genetic risk factors and exposures of women and children in diverse populations more broadly.

Precision genomic medicine is now technically feasible. Just as global positioning systems revolutionized the logistics of travel, so genome-wide polygenic risk scores (GPSs) now have the potential to inform our trajectories of health and to serve in the prevention and mitigation of many common and complex diseases. We welcome research into the implementation of—and equity of access to—genetic predictors and their integration into clinical and evidence-based medical practice.

Genomic research, sensitively deployed, has enormous potential to improve human health, animal health and agricultural crop quality and to guide sustainable contributions to the health of our environment. Within this broad context, we can learn from the metabolic adaptations and vulnerabilities of species threatened by environmental challenges in the context of climate change.

In this issue, we highlight examples of the growing capability of genetic epidemiology and its intersection with genomic data to identify the underpinnings of the functions, predispositions and vulnerabilities of the human brain. In particular, we are publishing three studies into intelligence, neuroticism and epilepsy with the potential to guide interventions in education, neuroscience and medicine, respectively.

To celebrate the Rosa genomes, we invite you to imagine ways to make rosy data as well loved as the roses themselves. This is an opportunity for data modeling and new discoveries from reanalysis, as well as for data display to feed public interest in the science and culture of flowers.

With new ways to examine the effects of mutations on gene expression within the 3D genome and increased emphasis on finding these variants by sequencing whole genomes, we would really like to know more about the rules that govern noncoding and regulatory sequences.

Largely owing to inequitable distribution of resources, the United States is failing its population in healthcare, for which it vastly overspends relative to other wealthy countries. We advocate extending research in genetic epidemiology to oversample poor people, underserved ancestry groups and ethnic minorities, as well as to use genetic predisposition as a baseline from which to examine environmental influences on the costly comorbidities of common diseases.

The multiple standardized clinical measurements that make up one’s lifetime path through health and disease are essential information for yourself and your healthcare system. Aggregated into a population cohort study across a single-payer network, these data become an extraordinary tool for improving the efficiency of healthcare delivery and new discoveries in genomic medicine.

The reconstruction of the genome of a woman of African ancestry from her European descendants, across eight generations, connects living people to a documented saga, drawing attention to the individuals who participated in historic events at a time when the legal, cultural and ethical implications of individual human rights began to gain currency. It is also a technical achievement that extends the methodologies for understanding our interwoven genomic and social histories.