Epigenetics, the study of the “epigenome;” the study of changes in gene activity that do not involve alterations to the genetic code but still get passed down to at least one successive generation. These patterns of gene expression are governed by the cellular material –the epigenome –that sits on top of the genome, just outside it thus the prefix “epi” which means above. It is these epigenetic marks that tell your genes to switch on or off, to speak loudly or to whisper. It is through epigenetic marks that environmental factors like diet, stress and prenatal nutrition can make an imprint on genes that is passed from one generation to the next.
An entirely new concept, that has been observed in some form since observation was made by three predominant geneticists in the past 25 years, hopes to demonstrate how “what we do” can effect the next generation of direct descendents. Published in several major science journals, the best known players, Pembrey, Bygren and Golding, are working in tandem with others on a global scale, to build the “Epigenome Project”.
There are roughly 25,000 genes in the human genome project. The epigenome project could and will likely generate around 50 to 100 times as large as result. A project so large that it will take new computers not yet designed, to tackle the bulk of the project. When completed, this new effort will make the “Human Genome” project look like homework that 15th century kids did with an abacus. The potential is staggering, while for decades we have stumbled around with Darwinian roadblocks. We can now imagine a world in which we can tinker with DNA and perhaps even bend it to our will, knowing with the full knowledge that we can improve on our humanistic chances of a better life for our direct descendents that we took for granted before were only in the game as “the chips may fall.”
Obesity being what it is in the USA, we can now, with some very distinct hope, begin to understand how we are all responsible for our actions as they can possibly play out on our children. This raises one’s “responsibility” level to an entirely new perspective when it comes to what we do, how we eat and exercise, what we drink or knowingly chose to do such as smoking. Tobacco and other products of our modern culture.
In my own observations I recently discovered a perhaps minor comparison but none the less I will share it here with you. Currently, living with my brother and father in upstate New York, along with the complimentary home, there is a nicely paved (black tar), driveway, about 400 feet long. This spring as with every springtime, after the snow melts and the surface temperatures rise, nature kicks off with a sudden burst of energy.
Earthworms, yes, earthworms show up in abundance on the driveway. Clearly out in the open, away from the covert grass, they wiggle their way across the driveway. Many do not survive the event. Heat, cold, and their number one enemy, birds, find the protein irresistible. How have we effected the bird population which have learned to dance on the driveway as they hop and bop along picking up worms?
Had man not invented the automobile and thus, the relationship with crude oil, which, supplies us with a nearly unlimited group of by-products, not to mention “road tar” being one of those by-products, the bird population would have certainly been effected. In as much, our modernization efforts certainly have both positive and negative effects on the world around us.
Why not, on how we eat and our epigenes having a direct effect on our development and the ability to pass on these changes after birth. I think it is something seriously worth considering.
Hugs
Danielle Marie
