20 - 007 What is Epigenetics ?

Epigenetics is a new branch in biology which has and is in the progress of resolving many of the problems that were never resolved by just considering DNA on its own as the basis for understanding the meaning and progression of life. Sometimes referred to as the study of the heritable aspects of the meaning of life. It covers the features that are “on top of ” or “in addition “ the so called traditional genetic basis of inheritance based solely on DNA. The term epigenetics was used by British embryologist C.H. Waddington in 1942 with the focus upon embryonic development where cells divide and grow along different cell pathways forming the stem cells. Epigenetics has recently found a particularly strong following in the understanding of the development of the human brain in support of the “nature verse nurture” theory of understanding of how human behaviours develop. Epigenetics addresses the fact that a feedback loop exists that can exist as a life is being lived to effect the way that life itself evolves. This can include childhood development, environmental chemicals, diet, pharmaceutical intake and aging itself. So these things can be taken in during life by the living organism and significantly cause additions to the DNA master plan for that life such that a new sub plan is used by the life as it continues its living processes. Now I like to consider the DNA as being the overall script whist the RNA, that epigenetics is focussed upon, contains the detailed recipes for making the actual living cells themselves. Genetics thinking and research has always focussed upon the genes being passed down through in the case of sex in mammals joining together the chromosomes from male and female to create the new life. This depended upon the egg and the sperm stored in those lives from their birth coming together to reproduce a new life. So under this way of thinking the DNA is sort of locked unable to change during the life of the organism in which it has been stored. Now epigenetics looks at this more flexible RNA where things can be changed in the plans on how to build cells within the living organism whilst it is alive. So is the process only possible in one direction of travel. That is DNA script triggering the RNA recipe to make the living cell. So there are digital plans in the DNA script amended by the digital plans in the RNA recipe before the chemicals are mixed together to make the living cell. So we know the RNA recipe is updated by the life lead by the living cells within the organism and this will effect subsequent cells being made to this RNA recipe. But does any of these changes ever get back into the DNA? To affect future generations it would have to be in the DNA in the chromosomes to allow for the reproduction process. Now consider life in say viruses these are not complicated by a mammalian reproduction processes so RNA back to DNA is a more likely scenario. From a digital perspective the epigenetics aspects of cell creation lend themselves to a more detailed analysis of the sub-routines that support this process. These epigenetic processes are more complex than those existing around DNA, so really acknowledging that epigenetics is more complex than genetics. So genetics are a bit “carved in stone” whilst epigenetics is like having millions of “bouncing balls”.