Epigenetics Readings Flashcards
1
Q
mother’s prenatal diet
A
- if the pregnant mom had a low-carb diet, this put the child at risk for obesity
- when the baby was developing, perhaps it was silencing some of the genes associated with digesting carbs because it didn’t have a need to digest carbs
- if there’s an environmental demand, we might express something, if not, we may not express it
2
Q
mice who feared cherry blossom scent
A
- researchers trained mice to fear this scent (feared it was poisonous). Then they mated the male mice, and their offspring also feared cherry blossom
- babies were never trained to fear cherry blossom, it was passed down genetically -> phobias can be passed down
- real-world application: to what extent can phobias and things like PTSD be passed down from fathers to children?