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Can good or bad habits, diets and exercise affect children or grandchildren? Will our lack of sleep come back to descendants or extra glasses of champagne – suddenly because of our unreasonable decisions in children will show a propensity for alcoholism, diabetes or carpal tunnel syndrome?
The article below summarizes the main arguments of geneticists, doctors and other specialists who answered this question in Ask Science section of the popular Reddit portal.
Although the way of life does not affect the structure of DNA, it can render EFFECTS ON FACTORS WHICH REGULATE GENE ACTIVITY
This phenomenon is called epigenetic inheritance: in depending on what factors influenced the body during life, his offspring may appear or, conversely, not manifest some properties that were originally incorporated in the genetic the code.
The structure of the genome itself, transmitted to the descendant, may be changed only during pregnancy: poor nutrition, stress or diseases carried by the mother during this period may become the cause of mutations at the gene level and violations of the DNA structure – for example, due to such mutations, children with excess chromosome.
But these changes are quite random, they do not always and often occur not related to mother’s lifestyle. This is a gene abnormality that difficult to predict before conception, but today, future parents may warn with prenatal diagnosis – into the program Research includes a special test to check the fetus for 6,000 possible developmental disabilities.
HOWEVER, NOT ALL PROPERTIES TRANSFERRED FROM PARENTS TO SUBSIDIARIES, Embedded in DNA
The mechanism of inheritance outside the structure of the genetic code is studying a special branch of science is epigenetics. The term itself was coined Englishman Conrad Waddington in the 50s. The scientist did not yet know how arranged by the human genome, but guessed about the existence of a certain the mechanism that governs the hereditary material of living creatures.
In the 1990s, when human DNA was transcribed, researchers remembered about epigenetics and found confirmation Waddington hypotheses. Now epigenetic (literally – “supragenic”) inheritance refers to all changes associated with phenotype or expression of genes that occur in descendants in first generation in living things and in several generations in cell organisms.
SCIENTISTS DO NOT KNOW HOW INHERITANCE IN LIVING HAPPENS BEINGS
To track the causes of the appearance of similar signs, you need consider an infinite number of factors: conditions in which the growth and development of the animal, environmental factors, ecology, cosmic radiation and so on.
Researchers can’t say exactly what affects expression genes, and if you have the same properties that your parents – this does not mean that they are transmitted to you genetically. Perhaps your phenotype is affected by climate, the rhythm of life in your hometown or consumption of foods familiar to your family.
It is particularly difficult to describe the mechanism for the inheritance of certain OF CHARACTERS AND CHARACTER IN PEOPLE – unlike most animals, people in their development are highly dependent on society, and on the child in the process of growing up influence his relatives, peers, teachers, movie characters, adopted in society norms and orders.
Roughly speaking, if a family has three generations involved in sports, this does not mean that children inherit embossed muscles genetically: first their turn is influenced by upbringing and family tradition evenings in the gym.
But what if passed from generation to generation may not only physiological characteristics, but also patterns of behavior? Thanks to this question, a new direction has recently appeared. – behavioral epigenetics. Scientists working in this field, suggest that the lifestyle of the parent organism may affect the nature and behavioral scenarios of the descendant.
In 2013, the reputable magazine Neuroscience were published results of experiments conducted on laboratory mice: researchers have taught the animal to be afraid of the smell of cherries (choice they don’t seem to explain the aroma), and then they watched the manifestation of the same fear in the offspring of this mouse and even subsequent generations.
WE CANNOT EXACTLY KNOW WHAT SERVED THE REASON FOR THIS: perhaps a mechanism for genetic transmission of behavioral scenarios much more complex and in mice does not appear at all like in people.
But biologists say that the ability to transfer acquired genetic skills would be a good accelerator of evolution, because in this way more perfect beings would appear significantly faster than due to random gene mutations. If to believe that nature is logical, the transfer of patterns behavior would be very helpful for the development of living things.
BUT WHICH ALL BEHAVIORAL SCENARIOS OR OR ONLY THAT WERE USEFUL FOR THE PARENT?
Fear is a manifestation of the instinct of self-preservation, which helps the mouse protect itself and the future of the population, and habit drink alcohol, for example, has the exact opposite the effect.
Genetics say the presence in the family tree several alcoholic relatives does not increase chances of a child to become addicted to drinking: most likely, in his DNA there will be a predisposition to alcoholism, but without an inducing the influence of the social environment, this gene does not appear.
It turns out that the experience gained by the parents is all the same IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT BUT CANNOT CHANGE DNA.
A photo from open sources
Since epigenetic inheritance has been recently discovered, researchers were not able to track it on several generations of people: now the phenomenon is studied in mice, the structure of DNA which is close to human, and the reproduction rate allows track gene expression on parents, children, and grandchildren. But the question is about projecting the results of experiments on people remains open.
DOING SPORTS OR FOLLOWING THE CORRECT POWER MODE, YOU DO NOT CHANGE YOUR GENETIC CODE, BUT USING OPPORTUNITIES, Pledged IN HIS NATURE.
You can compare this with game consoles: inserting different cartridges, you will get different results, but without the console itself with certain technical specifications cartridges do not mean. In any case, taking care of yourself and your health – not a bad idea, even if useful habits will not be transmitted epigenetically to your children.
DNA Life
