Epigenetics

As we are wrapping up our unit on Genetics, there is one topic that I didn't teach you about....Epigenetics.

Watch the video above.  Don't worry, it is only 5 minutes.  Still curious?  You can also watch the following video for more background information.

Can our lifestyle and choices affect which genes are actually expressed?  What do you think?  In a scholarly paragraph, explain epigenetics.  What is epigenetics?  What is a gene that can be influenced by epigenetics?  Just because cancer is totally prevalent in your family, does that mean that you will definitely get cancer?  Is there anything that you can do to favor your healthy genes?  Has epigenetics been in the news?  What are some other studies saying about epigenetics?

You must write your paragraph and response by Friday, April 20th.  If you can include a link to another article about epigenetics at the end of your paragraph, then I will give you extra credit.

Identical Twins

Identical twin studies are always interesting, but this study tops them all.  Mark and Scott Kelly are identical twins who work for NASA.  Scott Kelly spent a year in outer space to become the ultimate test of how the human body reacts to the environment.   Because Mark and Scott have identical DNA, scientists were able to determine exactly what happens to both the human body and DNA after spending a year in outer space.  The findings will be used to help plan future long-term missions to Mars. 

https://www.nasa.gov/twins-study

There are a lot of links for you to explore.  Please write a scholarly paragraph about what you learned.  Does this make you want to volunteer to be the astronaut that spends a significant amount of time on Mars?  If Scott's telomeres were longer, do you think that going into outer space reverses the aging process?  Do you think that Mark Kelly wishes he was the twin that went into outer space?