Sarah Battise
Professor Oellers
Biology 100
September 20, 2012
Part
1 / Epigenetics
Epigenetics (epi, above, genetics) involves the study
of changes in gene function that occur without a change in the DNA sequence. It’s
looking at your genes and what happens to them over the course of your life.
It’s studying whether or not those changes can be passed down to your children
or even your grandchildren.
Do you ever wonder how
siblings, or even twins, can be so different from each other? From the way they
dress, the foods they like, the diseases they have or even the bigger life
decisions they make, genetics play a huge role in the way people are. All cells
contain your DNA, the same exact blueprint of your genetic code. There are
carbon and hydrogen compounds called Methyl Groups that bind to a genome and
tell it whether or not to express that gene and this is the way a cell knows
what it is or what its function is. DNA winds itself around proteins called
Histones and depending on how tightly it’s wound depends on whether or not the
genes are able to express themselves. Every cell in the body has a distinct methylation
and histone pattern and that is what gives the cells their directions. The
genome does all the work but the epigenome tells the genome what to do. Your
genome is the same your whole life but the epigenetic tags or information is
not permanent and changes over time and can be hereditary. Epigenome reacts to
situations in your life such as puberty or pregnancy but can also be altered by
stress or the decisions we make about the things we do or the way we eat and
treat our bodies.
So, let’s do a little
research on our own. Ask your parents or grandparents if there are any
characteristics that they notice about you that reminds them of themselves.
Look closely and do some internal family research, ask about risks taken or
tragedy, anything that would have been a milestone in their lives that may have
left an epigenetic tag behind.
Scientists are learning
more every day about how the human body works and responds. Epigenetics is one
of those things that has been given more attention just within the past 10 or
20 years and we are learning that the epigenetic slate is not wiped clean upon
conception and our futures may not be our very own to decide.
Sources:
Hank. "Epigenetics." YouTube.
YouTube, 22 Jan. 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp1bZEUgqVI>.
"Neurology Today." New
Studies of Epigenetics: Possible Treatments for Neurodeg... :. N.p., n.d.
Web. 20 Sept. 2012. <http://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/Fulltext/2009/01150/New_Studies_of_Epigenetics__Possible_Treatments.10.aspx>.
Part
2
1.
The one assignment that I am most proud of is
the lab we did about the importance of water. I think it might be because I was
able to relate to that the most out of everything we have been studying so far.
It was so interesting to learn/realize how much water and energy goes into our
everyday lives that we never really think about.
2.
What I understand best about this unit,
honestly, is that I don’t really understand it at all. Although I know that
what we learn now is the basis of everything else biology has to offer, I am
really struggling to grasp the order and function of all of these things. I am
actually feeling quite frustrated.
3.
The
actions I took to enhance my learning was I went on the internet and was able
to find things (on YouTube of all places). There were videos there that gave me
the information in a different way and I was able to better understand the
concepts.
4.
I
feel most connected with the course during the labs when I have a hands-on
experience with what we are learning. Otherwise, just trying to learn words out
of a book has been very challenging to me, I think because there are a lot of
definitions and concepts to learn. It’s kind of like trying to remember names
without a faces… they are just names.
5.
I am a visual learner and I feel it might help
if there was something more we could look at. Also, I don’t feel as though we
cover the labs as thoroughly as we should. We went over the last lab in class
and I felt that it was very helpful and I think we should go over each lab like
that.
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