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tl;dr "there's also epigentics" It has been known for some time already that there's not only genetics (as in DNA), but also epigenetics (i.e. markers that can
by KenanSulayman 8y ago
tl;dr "there's also epigentics"
It has been known for some time already that there's not only genetics (as in DNA), but also epigenetics (i.e. markers that can enable or disable sections of the DNA; they can change over time based on environmental factors). I'm not exactly sure what's the news in this article?
- delinka 8y agoIs that "known to the scientific community" or "known anecdotally"? The news here seems to be that there's now scientific confirmation of what was known anecdotally.
- Xikkub 8y agoEpigenetics has been known about and studied for probably two decades at this point; as SimbaOnSteroids said, the real news here is the previously unknown role of the epididymis in changing the epigenetic cargo of sperm.
- SimbaOnSteroids 8y agoThe new part of the article is the previously unnoticed role of the epididymis. It turned out that upon entering the epididymis sperm shed a bunch of small RNAs(which play a major role in epigenetic expression) and then reaquire small RNA's that reflect more closely the father's environment, later along in the duct.