EPIGENETICS
EPIGENETICS & THE ENVIRONMENT
The genome dynamically responds to the environment. Stress, diet, behavior, toxins and other factors activate chemical switches that regulate gene expression.
video explore
INSIGHTS FROM IDENTICAL TWINSWhy do the physical characteristics of identical twins diverge as they age? Follow the interaction of the environment and the genome in a pair of twins over time.
interactive explore
LICK YOUR RATSWhat kind of mother are you? Care for a rat pup and shape its epigenome.
video learn more
EPIGENETICS & THE HUMAN BRAINEpigenetic mechanisms play an important role both in normal brain function and in mental illness.
WHAT IS EPIGENETICS?
The development and maintenance of an organism is orchestrated by a set of chemical reactions that switch parts of the genome off and on at strategic times and locations. Epigenetics is the study of these reactions and the factors that influence them.
introductory video
THE EPIGENOME AT A GLANCEAn introduction to the epigenome and how it instructs DNA.
interactive explore
GENE CONTROLChange the level of gene expression in a cell with the turn of a dial!
learn more
THE EPIGENOME LEARNS FROM ITS EXPERIENCESEpigenetic tags record the gene-regulating signals the cell receives.
