Contrary to popular belief, the idea that people’s individuality is crafted through a combination of nature and nurture has been challenged by research that suggests nature has a greater sway. An article in New Scientist magazine on January 19th, 2009 explores the research, which focused on how differences between twins, who theoretically share identical DNA, are a result of interfering “inherited chemical adornments” on genes.
More widely, the concept of factors that affect genetic material without altering genetic code is known as epigenetics. The research discussed in this article focused on methylation, the addition of methyl groups onto genes, which can affect gene activation and DNA replication and recombination.
The study of 57 pairs of identical twins showed that the siblings had differing patterns of methylation across their genomes. Methylations were shown to occur at various locations across the genome, and a greater prevalence of differences in methylations was apparent in twins which separated early as fertilised eggs than those that separated later. This suggests that “epigenetic divergence occurs very early in embryo development”. Researchers theorised that these variations in methylations are a result of vestiges of patterns that are present in sperm or egg cells.
The implications of this research are that epigenetic factors, specifically methylation, may be a significant cause for the differences in all people, and can potentially underlie health problems such as mental illness and cancer.
Primary Article:
Further References:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13743-complete-cookbook-for-running-a-genome-published.html
http://www.pi.csiro.au/markoliphant-conf/oliphant_epigenetics_info.htm
Hannah Mitchell (P1)
