LibGuides: Genetics: Epigenetics

What is epigenetics?

According to Laura Elnitski, PhD, of the National Human Genome Research Institute,

"Epigenetics is an emerging field of science that studies heritable changes caused by the activation and deactivation of genes without any change in the underlying DNA sequence of the organism. The word epigenetics is of Greek origin and literally means over and above (epi) the genome."

New books about epigenetics

Epigenetics by Richard C. Francis
Call Number: STLCC-FV Stacks 572.865 F8194e
Publication Date: 2011-06-13
The Epigenetics Revolution by Nessa Carey
Call Number: STLCC-FP Stacks 616.042 C275e
Publication Date: 2012-03-06
Our Genes, Our Choices by David Goldman
Call Number: STLCC-M Stacks 155.7 G6195o
Publication Date: 2012-05-04
Scared Sick by Robin Karr-Morse; Meredith S. Wiley (As told to)
Call Number: STLCC-FV Stacks 155.93 K1882s
Publication Date: 2012-01-03
Unnatural Selection by Emily Monosson
Call Number: STLCC-FV Stacks 576.542 M7519u
Publication Date: 2014-10-28

Websites

These websites have been viewed and accepted by a reference librarian.

Learn.genetics
Links to videos, interactives and educational articles related to epigenetics from the University of Utah, LearnGenetics project.
Epigenomics
Links to a Fact Sheet developed by the National Human Genome Research Institute.
National Institutes of Health
A search page for epigenetics and epigenomics which links to videos, research papers and NIH initiatives related to the subject of epigenetics.

Videos

TED talk: Epigenetics
Here’s a conundrum: Identical twins originate from the same DNA ... so how can they turn out so different — even in traits that have a significant genetic component? Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna explains that while nature versus nurture has a lot to do with it, a deeper, related answer can be found within something called epigenetics.
Breaking the Wall of Nature and Nurture [electronic resource (video)] : How Genes and Environment Combine to Affect Our Life Course / Falling Walls Foundation.
New York, N.Y. : Films Media Group, c2010.

STLCC Electronic Resources Films on Demand ONLINE

What determines human behavior? In this video of his 2010 Falling Walls Conference lecture, Dalton Conley would say nature and nurture both play a role. This "academic superstar" (The Guardian) and the first sociologist recipient of the National Science Foundation's Alan T. Waterman Award is breaking down the traditional divide between these two concepts. Conley offers a unique and groundbreaking understanding of social and genetic contexts as determinants of human behavior and reactions. Having developed the "fascinating" (Time) concept of intravidualism, he provides a critical insight into how our genes and those of our family and peers interact with our social experiences. Demonstrating how genes and environment combine to affect our life course, Conley's research presents a model for designing better-functioning organizations.