epigenetics
noun/ˌɛpɪd͡ʒəˈnɛtɪks/
Etymology Blend of epigenesis + genetics; coined by C. H. Waddington in 1942.
1
Biology, Genetics, Medicine, Natural sciences, Sciences The study of the processes involved in the genetic development of an organism, especially the activation and deactivation of genes.
- Epigenetics deals with the regulation of genetic activity within a cell - which genes are switched on or off, and when it happens.2010 November 6, “Sins of the Fathers”, in New Scientist:
- The nuts and bolts of how this happens revolves around the massively trendy field of “epigenetics,” revealing how early life experience causes long-lasting changes in gene expression in particular brain regions.2023, Robert M. Sapolsky, Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will, New York: Penguin, →ISBN:
- Derived terms
- metaboloepigenetics, neuroepigenetics, pharmacoepigenetics
- Related terms
- epigenetic, epigenome, genetic determinism, gene expression, gene silencing
- Coordinate terms
- epistasis