Narratives in exposomics: A reversed heuristic determinism?

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Sciences
• Environmental Health
• Genomics and Exposomics

Background:

• The Human Genome Project (HGP) shifted focus from gene-centric to multifactorial views of health and disease.
• Environmental exposures are increasingly recognized as crucial in disease causation, complementing genetic factors.
• The exposome concept, defined as the totality of human environmental exposures, emerged to complement the HGP.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the nature of determinism in exposomics research.
• To investigate if exposomics research contributes to novel deterministic narratives.
• To introduce and define "reversed heuristic determinism" in the context of exposomics.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of causal narratives in exposomics research.
• Comparison of exposomics determinism with gene-centric and Laplacian determinism.
• Introduction of the concept of "reversed heuristic determinism".

Main Results:

• Causal narratives in exposomics share similarities with gene-centric deterministic narratives, aligning with Laplacian determinism and "determinism of a phenomenon."
• Exposomics research employs a "reversed heuristic determinism," where external environmental exposures are identified via internal biological markers.
• This heuristic determinism has significant implications for exposomics research methodologies and interpretations.

Conclusions:

• Exposomics research, while focusing on environmental factors, exhibits a unique form of determinism.
• "Reversed heuristic determinism" characterizes how environmental exposures are methodologically determined by their biological markers.
• Understanding this heuristic determinism is crucial for advancing exposomics research and its implications for human health.