Panel Discussion – Epigenetics Revolution: The Power to Self-regulate and Control Human Behavior
Many people believe that our specific DNA code represents our life destiny with respect to longevity, disease onset, and behavioral characteristics. This is not 100% scientifically true. One of the most exciting areas of genetics is the study of what mechanisms turn genes on or off in regulating our “DNA destiny”. One critical process involved in gene regulation is epigenetics. The first section of this article discusses the scientific basis of epigenetics and the latter section will discuss the Jewish ethical issues and mussar lessons that are associated with epigenetics as a means to self-regulate and control human behavior.