Technically, yes. But embedded within your genome, there are many potential versions of you. The person you see in the mirror is just one of them, fished out by the unique things you've been exposed to since conception. The new science of epigenetics is the study of how chemical changes made to DNA, or proteins that interact with DNA, can affect gene activity. DNA can be modified by environmental factors in ways that can profoundly affect development and behavior. Recently, it's also been shown that the microbes in your body - aka your microbiome - can be a significant environmental factor that affects myriad behaviors, from overeating to depression. In sum, we are our genes - but our genes cannot be evaluated outside the context of our environment. Genes are the piano keys, but the environment plays the song.
Tuesday 1 October 2019
Are you really just a pile of genes?
Technically, yes. But embedded within your genome, there are many potential versions of you. The person you see in the mirror is just one of them, fished out by the unique things you've been exposed to since conception. The new science of epigenetics is the study of how chemical changes made to DNA, or proteins that interact with DNA, can affect gene activity. DNA can be modified by environmental factors in ways that can profoundly affect development and behavior. Recently, it's also been shown that the microbes in your body - aka your microbiome - can be a significant environmental factor that affects myriad behaviors, from overeating to depression. In sum, we are our genes - but our genes cannot be evaluated outside the context of our environment. Genes are the piano keys, but the environment plays the song.
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