Epigenetics

Epigenetics means above genetics. it describes the expression of genotypes in phenotypes. The important word here is expression and term Epigenetics please under attempt to explain those observations that cannot be explained through direct translation of genotype alone.

Mendel the father of genetics Mendel’s Peas

As once mandal could not explain codominsnce shared inheritance so only dominant and recessive genetic characteristics were accepted genetic inherence mechanisms. Smooth peas or wrinkly peas never part wrinkly peas .So red flowers or white flowers, not pink flowers. It is known that genetic expression is much more complicated than that. 

Heresy

More recently it used to be heresy to suggest that something that happened to you in your lifetime could be passed on in your genes to your children. And then there was the holocaust and the shocked mice.

NURTURE not nature

It had previously been accepted that there was no genetic inheritance of Characteristics acquired during the parents lifetime. Instead, nurture was considered to be the cause of traits that were passed on to offspring not nature. For example when the offspring of holocaust survivors showed biochemical markers of PTSD it was considered that these children had been raised by parents adversely affected by their experiences, and that then impacted on their parenting.

Shocked Mice

Electrocuted mice experiment. Offspring separated from the traumatised parent. Raised by traumatised parents.

So what is happening? Mechanisms put forward for gene expressions are methylation, histones and rna.

Methylation 

Histones

RNA

Sperm Does not contain really small people. And it does not contain DNA alone. it also contains RNA.

Nicolaas Hartsoeker

Therapy

Therapy can mend methylation