DNA and epigenetics

[Pressure Drop]

Ok i did an A-Level in biology about 5 years ago and was taught about DNA

i recently watched a horizon programme about epigenetics and was surprised to find my knowledge and understanding of genes already inacurate and out of date.

The main thing in the programme was that the exact same genetic deletion could cuase 2 different diseases depending on whether the chromosome came from the mother or the father

then there was something about environtmental factors could affect the DNA of generations never exposed to these factors and cuase diabetes and things when the grandfather had been in a famine during puberty.

i googled it and read
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/genome/.../hg02b002.html
this cleared up some things for me but i've still no real idea why the exact same DNA deletion cuases a different disease

here is a link to the programme info though it didn't give any info on the 2 deseases i was talking about :/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/prog...ostgenes.shtml

do they teach this stuff in school yet?
i never even heard of epigenetics till i watched that programme (i think?)

[Superted]

Yeah I watched that programme too.

My only after thought is, 'does this mean homosexuality is actually dependant on social factors?'

Of course, epigenetics will be possibly taught in college in a few years and a few years after that there'll be another breakthrough which contradicts the previous theories, it's the way of science.

[Pressure Drop]

Yeah I watched that programme too.

My only after thought is, 'does this mean homosexuality is actually dependant on social factors?'

Of course, epigenetics will be possibly taught in college in a few years and a few years after that there'll be another breakthrough which contradicts the previous theories, it's the way of science.

i was wondering the kinda time scale it takes for things like this to make it into education curiculum. I remember my Biology teacher saying the stuff he was teaching us was about 10 years behind current research and then he would tell us a little about what discoveries had happened.



yeah interesting thought, i was wondering if the potato famine my ancestors went through about 150 years ago could affect me, specialy since my 2 uncles (one being a twin of my dad) have developed secondary diabietes and the show said there was a link between famine and diabetes in the subsequent generations (though i assumed it was the other type of diabetes)

But i wonder if being exposed to men with pink handbags or being watching gay eye for a straight guy would turn your kids gay

[Vykromond]

My only after thought is, 'does this mean homosexuality is actually dependant on social factors?'

it would be, but no

edit: this post is poorly phrased. i meant it to read something like "of course you would think that, but no, sorry" but it read as "yeah, you're right"

[Theif of Time]

Of course, epigenetics will be possibly taught in college in a few years and a few years after that there'll be another breakthrough which contradicts the previous theories, it's the way of science.

Yeah, that happens :P. Or they realise that they've been analysing the data wrong, (This actually happened, with air ballons etc. measuring the temp of the upper atmosphere had recorded a drop in temp rather than a rise, but they hadn't taken into account the drift or something) or someone has a great new idea.

My only after thought is, 'does this mean homosexuality is actually dependant on social factors?'

Always thought it was a combination.

[Tone]

A New Paradigm

Mind Over Genes:
The New Biology

http://www.brucelipton.com/mind-over-genes.php

[Vykromond]

previous post has been clarified. tone's post has been ignored.