O termo epigenética deriva do grego, onde epi, significa "por cima", "além".
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E se fosse possível transmitir aos filhos as características adquiridas em vida? E se os traumas por que passamos se mostrassem tão grandes a ponto de alterar nossa composição genética?
Sua alimentação afeta o DNA de seus netos
Ao contrário de uma mutação genética, as alterações epigenéticas no ambiente do DNA deveriam ser esquecidas quando um embrião recém-formado começasse a se dividir. Durante o processo de meiose (divisão celular), todas as marcas epigenéticas deveriam ser apagadas, mas isso não é totalmente verdade: algumas permanecem.
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Qual é a sua relação com a teoria da seleção natural de Darwin?
A variação epigenética hereditária pode proporcionar uma variação adicional para processos evolutivos, inclusive a seleção natural. Assim, a existência de variações epigenéticas hereditárias amplia o escopo de variações e proporciona focos adicionais para a seleção. Não há conflito entre a epigenética e o darwinismo. De fato, a existência de variações epigenéticas, “desenvolvimentais” está em consonância com as ideias do próprio Darwin sobre hereditariedade, pois Darwin acreditava que a variação induzida “desenvolvimentalmente” pode ser herdada.
Qual é a sua relação com a teoria da seleção natural de Darwin?
A variação epigenética hereditária pode proporcionar uma variação adicional para processos evolutivos, inclusive a seleção natural. Assim, a existência de variações epigenéticas hereditárias amplia o escopo de variações e proporciona focos adicionais para a seleção. Não há conflito entre a epigenética e o darwinismo. De fato, a existência de variações epigenéticas, “desenvolvimentais” está em consonância com as ideias do próprio Darwin sobre hereditariedade, pois Darwin acreditava que a variação induzida “desenvolvimentalmente” pode ser herdada.
Livros
Eva Jablonka e Marion J. Lamb resgatam as ideias de Lamarck e propõem uma reestruturação do darwinismo, argumentando que há mais do que genes na hereditariedade.
O autor ataca três dogmas fortemente arraigados na cultura ocidental - a idéia de que a mente de um recém-nascido é uma 'tábula rasa' a ser preenchida pelos pais e pela sociedade; a concepção de que o homem em seu estado primitivo é um bom selvagem; e a crença de que a alma imaterial dotada de livre-arbítrio é a única responsável pelas ações do indivíduo.
The Epigenetics Revolution: How Modern Biology Is Rewriting Our Understanding of Genetics, Disease, and Inheritance
Epigenetics can potentially revolutionize our understanding of the structure and behavior of biological life on Earth. It explains why mapping an organism's genetic code is not enough to determine how it develops or acts and shows how nurture combines with nature to engineer biological diversity. Surveying the twenty-year history of the field while also highlighting its latest findings and innovations, this volume provides a readily understandable introduction to the foundations of epigenetics.
Nessa Carey, a leading epigenetics researcher, connects the field's arguments to such diverse phenomena as how ants and queen bees control their colonies; why tortoiseshell cats are always female; why some plants need cold weather before they can flower; and how our bodies age and develop disease. Reaching beyond biology, epigenetics now informs work on drug addiction, the long-term effects of famine, and the physical and psychological consequences of childhood trauma. Carey concludes with a discussion of the future directions for this research and its ability to improve human health and well-being.
Epigenetics: The Ultimate Mystery of Inheritance
Time to worry again—our lifestyle choices do impact our genetic code and that of our children (and even grandchildren!)."The potential is staggering. . . . The age of epigenetics has arrived."—Time, January 2010
Epigenetic means "on the gene," and the term refers to the recent discovery that stress in the environment can impact an individual's physiology so deeply that those biological scars are actually inherited by the next several generations. For instance, a recent study has shown that men who started smoking before puberty caused their sons to have significantly higher rates of obesity. And obesity is just the tip of the iceberg—many researchers believe that epigenetics holds the key to understanding cancer, Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism, and diabetes.
Epigenetics is the first book for general readers on this fascinating and important topic. The book is driven by stories such as the Dutch famine of World War II, José Canseco and steroids, the breeding of mules and hinnies, Tazmanian devils and contagious cancer, and more. 18 illustrations
Epigenetics can potentially revolutionize our understanding of the structure and behavior of biological life on Earth. It explains why mapping an organism's genetic code is not enough to determine how it develops or acts and shows how nurture combines with nature to engineer biological diversity. Surveying the twenty-year history of the field while also highlighting its latest findings and innovations, this volume provides a readily understandable introduction to the foundations of epigenetics.
Nessa Carey, a leading epigenetics researcher, connects the field's arguments to such diverse phenomena as how ants and queen bees control their colonies; why tortoiseshell cats are always female; why some plants need cold weather before they can flower; and how our bodies age and develop disease. Reaching beyond biology, epigenetics now informs work on drug addiction, the long-term effects of famine, and the physical and psychological consequences of childhood trauma. Carey concludes with a discussion of the future directions for this research and its ability to improve human health and well-being.
Time to worry again—our lifestyle choices do impact our genetic code and that of our children (and even grandchildren!)."The potential is staggering. . . . The age of epigenetics has arrived."—Time, January 2010
Epigenetic means "on the gene," and the term refers to the recent discovery that stress in the environment can impact an individual's physiology so deeply that those biological scars are actually inherited by the next several generations. For instance, a recent study has shown that men who started smoking before puberty caused their sons to have significantly higher rates of obesity. And obesity is just the tip of the iceberg—many researchers believe that epigenetics holds the key to understanding cancer, Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism, and diabetes.
Epigenetics is the first book for general readers on this fascinating and important topic. The book is driven by stories such as the Dutch famine of World War II, José Canseco and steroids, the breeding of mules and hinnies, Tazmanian devils and contagious cancer, and more. 18 illustrations
Goodbye, genetic blueprint. . . . The first book for general readers ?on the game-changing field of epigenetics.The burgeoning new science of epigenetics offers a cornucopia of insights—some comforting, some frightening. For example, the male fetus may be especially vulnerable to certain common chemicals in our environment, in ways that damage not only his own sperm but also the sperm of his sons. And it’s epigenetics that causes identical twins to vary widely in their susceptibility to dementia and cancer. But here’s the good news: unlike mutations, epigenetic effects are reversible. Indeed, epigenetic engineering is the future of medicine.
Identical twins share the same genes and are often startlingly alike. Why, then, should they often meet such different fates one twin developing a serious disease like cancer while the other remains unscathed? In a compelling scientific detective story, The Ghost in Your Genes explores the provocative idea that there may be more to inheritance than genes alone. New clues reveal that a second epigenetic chemical code sits on top of our regular DNA and controls how our genes are expressed, turning them on or off with dramatic consequences for our health.
This revolutionary finding has vital implications not only for treating disease but for how we take care of ourselves. While we inherit the epigenome much as we do DNA, it appears to respond far more to our environment and lifestyles. So our stress levels and what we eat, drink, and breathe may leave an enduring imprint, not just on our own bodies but on the generations to come. In a tour-de-force of scientific sleuthing, NOVA reveals the discoveries that have overturned the old story of inheritance and have profound relevance for how we choose to lead our lives.
Em 'DNA - o segredo da vida', o cientista James Watson (um dos autores do "modelo de dupla hélice" para a estrutura da molécula de DNA, trabalho que valeu-lhe o prêmio Nobel de Fisiologia / Medicina) resume os principais acontecimentos que marcaram a biologia, desde os experimentos pioneiros de Mendel e da busca pela eugenia, até as pesquisas mais recentes sobre o funcionamento da molécula de DNA e a intervenção genética. E mostra como a interferência no genoma de outros organismos abre as portas não só para a biotecnologia e para o advento dos transgênicos, mas também para a terapia gênica e a medicina do futuro. Em linguagem simples e com dezenas de fotos e esquemas ilustrativos, Watson apresenta os principais personagens dessa história, aponta as perspectivas que podemos esperar do estudo do DNA e discute suas implicações éticas.This revolutionary finding has vital implications not only for treating disease but for how we take care of ourselves. While we inherit the epigenome much as we do DNA, it appears to respond far more to our environment and lifestyles. So our stress levels and what we eat, drink, and breathe may leave an enduring imprint, not just on our own bodies but on the generations to come. In a tour-de-force of scientific sleuthing, NOVA reveals the discoveries that have overturned the old story of inheritance and have profound relevance for how we choose to lead our lives.
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