Nature or nurture? New epigenetic model blurs the line in the debate

A research report published in the July 2009 issue of the journal GENETICS complicates the debate over whether nature or nurture plays the most important role in complex diseases such as psychiatric disorders, heart disease, and cancer. In the report, a scientist from the University of California, Berkeley explains how epigenetics (temporary changes in gene function) and gene mutations (permanent, heritable changes in gene structure) contribute to disease risk in a population at a given time and in subsequent generations. This study provides an important theoretical foundation for future public health interventions designed to reduce a population's genetic risk of...

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