This coming Sunday, February 9th, we celebrate Evolution Sunday with a presentation by Dr. Julie Wade, retire professor of Biology at Milligan College. Dr. Wade's talk will focus on the fascinating topic of epigenetics. She writes:
"Genetic mechanisms involved in evolution are far more complex than previously thought. Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene activity that do NOT involve alterations to the genetic code but still get passed down to at least one successive generation. These changes are governed by cell material (such as methyl groups) that sit outside the genome (the epigenome) and can attach to the DNA. This material tells your genes to switch on or off due to environmental factors such as diet, stress, or nutrition. It is the nongenetic transfer of information through cells, and it can influence evolution. These biochemical switches may be implicated in many forms of cancer, autism, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and other diseases. Come and learn more about this fascinating twist that continues to drive modern day evolution as our environment becomes more and more stressful and impacts our genes in different ways."
Please be warmly welcome to join in the discussion.
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