Epigenetics: Nature vs. Nurture

The "Epi" in Epigenetics is a Greek preposition meaning "above". Therefore, the word "Epigenetics" means "Above Genetics". I have heard of the debate "Nature vs. Nurture" before, but never really understood it. The debate is between two sides of the spectrum.

Nature: The outcome of who and what a person is based solely on Biology and genetics.

Nurture: The outcome of who and what a person is based on how they were raised and lifestyles that they live.

Scientists have found many discoveries based on both nature and nurture. One of the experiments performed was one that had to do with how rats were raised. This video will show some of the discoveries: Epigenetics: Nature vs Nurture

The debate has been around since the late 1800s and has puzzled the scientific community ever since. The debate is important even today because the more developments made on either side can help to explain why we are the way that we are.

Have you ever wondered why we behave certain ways? Were we born the way that we are, or was it learned?

One of the more interesting things about the debate is the Twin Theory. The Twin Theory that was shown in the link above stated that if you took twins and separated them, where they grew up in different environments, they would be extremely different people with different personalities and goals for their lives. The video showed that one of the twins became very successful, and the other became a criminal, who was not successful whatsoever. However, I have seen a set of twins that grew up apart from one another and ended up meeting. The twins were not different at all. In fact, they have so many similarities that it could have been argued that they grew up together. The twins shared almost identical lifestyles with one another, and even had husbands that had the same names. This kind of thing, I believe, argues for the genetic side of the debate, as opposed to the other.

Reflection:

I really enjoy learning about Epigenetics. I like to think about the idea of original sin. Is original sin inherited, or is it learned behavior? To me, I think it could be both. If the Bible teaches that we are all sinful because of our inheritance from Adam, then it can't be originally learned. However, we can learn sinful behavior from anyone. Our parents are the most influential characters in our lives. I believe that the sin nature that we have comes from a learned behavior. I find myself to be on the nurture side of the debate.