SCOTT BERSON, ‘How often you hold your baby actually affects their DNA, study finds’, https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article186889938.html, Miami Herald, Miami Herald Media Company (NOVEMBER 28, 2017)
Infants need to be held, touched and engaged
Now a new study shows that the amount a baby is touched can leave lasting, measurable effects — not just on behavior or growth, but all the way down to the molecular level of the DNA. (…) In effect, the cells of the low-contact children were less mature than they should have been given the child’s actual age. (…) If further research confirms this initial finding, it will underscore the importance of providing physical contact, especially for distressed infants. (…) Infants need to be held, touched and engaged with to thrive.