Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Is it the genes that you have inherited, or is it the genes you will pass on? Or is it really both?

For example, can you say, "My weight is my genetic legacy because it runs in my family."

Hi,

I would think you could take it both ways. What you inherit is your genetic legacy, and what you pass on is your legacy to your children.

Have you ever heard of epigenetics? Here's a story about an epigenetic legacy: http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles. ... ic-Legacy/

Epigenetics refers to changes to the DNA that DO NOT involve changes in the base sequence. It used to be that we were taught that what a person inherited was just the DNA sequence. Now we know that there are many epigenetic changes that occur during a person's life and some of these can be passed on to our kids. Wiki has a pretty good description of epigenetics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigenetics

You might want to include epigenetic along with genetic legacy. It's a whole new and fascinating subject of research. Our understanding of how our body works depends on a clear picture of DNA function, not just sequence. Many genes are silenced, but sometimes they get switched on when they shouldn't and this can lead to disease. Epigenetics helps to regulate which genes are ON and which are OFF. The real challenge is understanding how this works. That will be your job if you become a biomedical researcher!

Sybee