Epigenetics is the study of inheritable changes in gene expression (active versus inactive genes) that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence — a change in phenotype without a change in genotype — which in turn affects how cells read the genes. [1] The change in gene expression is inherited by the following generations but is reversible. A gene is a particular sequence of DNA that will code for a specific individual’s characteristics such as their hair colour or eye colour.
Phenotype: is the term used to describe how an individual whether it be human or non-human appears in terms of its physicality e.g. hair colour, eye colour, skin colour etc.
Genotype: is the term given to the specific gene sequence that codes for how an individual appears, for example one individual may have a gene sequence that codes for blue eyes where as another may have a gene sequence coding for brown eyes. Genotype is also associated with the particular alleles that an individual possesses as to how specific traits appear physically. There are
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I have learned from this research project how epigenetics works and how our surroundings and the lifestyle we live can affect how are bodies work and how they carry out every day processes. Also, how the environment that some individuals live in can cause it to adapt in order to increase it chances of survival so it can reproduce and pass on the favourable characteristics suited to that environment to its off-spring. Not only have I learned that our own experiences affect us epigenetically but it is also the experience of our parents and our grandparents that can determine how the human body works. There is a lot more to the inheritance of genetic information than I once thought and I am now aware that you not only inherit genetic information from your parents but you can also inherit non-genetic information from their