learning some epigenetics for fun?
& to show you how to learn something you have no knowledge about.
I decided to learn epigenetics one class because I thought it would be interesting enough. I wanted to track my process so I could explain how I went from having no clue to having a deep understanding of the concept and brief understanding of the area around it.
Why epigenetics? no clue- but I am determined to find something about epigenetics that is interesting…
The first stage is gaining basis info to learn wat questions to be asking. so I start with Wikipedia- (Epigenetics — Wikipedia). Its got this fun image of who knows what-
and I didn't really get it- but I kept an eye out for the key words. I read only the first paragraph because its all I need for now. “In biology, epigenetics is the study of heritable traits, or a stable change of cell function, that happen without changes to the DNA sequence.[1]”
Thats a whole chunk of gibberish right there.. and I decide its time for some ChatGPT. I do a few prompts (I suggest watching a quick YouTube vid on how to make good prompts) and keep asking questions.
- what is epigenetics?
- why is it important?
- what is gene regulation?
- simplify epigenetics to an understandable level
- what do ‘on and off’ DNA mean?
- why would genes turn on and off?
- is genes turning off bad?
So you see how I am asking questions based on what I'm looking for- key information and a basic understanding. I'm pulling on threads that are asking to be pulled like words I keep seeing. Words that I keep seeing mean they are important and I need to have an understanding of.
This process is basically creating neurons in my brain and a map in my mind. I imagine it as making a map in my mind — which we see maps like this in a past blog of mine. Using this foundation that we can then build on by learning terms, key concepts and branching out.
You can see in my ChatGPT prompts that I am asking what are ‘on and off’ genes, what gene regulation is. With all of this I am gaining understanding not of epigenetics but of evolutionary biology in general.
After all this mind mapping (1hr of research) this is what I have learnt:
Epigenetics is an area of study in the field of biology and genetics. We have DNA sequences like apes and chimpanzees that are almost identical but they act differently and we are trying to explain that. Part of that is because gene activity sometimes doesn't alter DNA sequences yet will act different. Some genes can switch on and off which changes how genes act. This change is the study of epigenetics.
That paragraph may be still a bit complicated- because learning a foreign subject like this, you have to have some vocab like ‘genes’, ‘DNA’ and ‘sequences’. these are all key information. I wouldn't get ChatGPT to make a short paragraph about epigenetics because all it will do is repeat these important but confusing words.
It is a good summary but only for those who already know what gene activity and DNA modifications is. Even a paragraph by ChatGPT will fail to mention that this is to do with human and animal genetics because it is heavily implied, even if it is key information.
So after mapping we move on to gaining vocab- how this relates to the outside world and why people even study epigenetics. I'm asking ChatGPT why epigenetics are even important and continuously asking about terms I see recurringly. This process takes another half hour.
Then I can start using visuals and examples to learn and cement it in my mind. I have prior knowledge from a book I read on how DNA in humans and chimps are very similar- so I place this in the context of epigenetics using ChatGPT and since I know some vocab of genetics I can understand it to a point- even being able to understand sentences like this:
Specifically, certain regulatory regions of the FOXP2 gene are methylated differently in humans compared to chimpanzees.
and this is where it gets interesting; we are looking at applied epigenetics which means we are learning how epigenetics- this tiny field of science relates to the outer world- how it is working toward cancer treatment and other levels of disease susceptibility. all throughout this I am gaining a deepened understanding of epigenetics- creating neurons by relating it to prior knowledge, to new examples, and to the wider world.
So now here I'm mapping the basics and the outer field of genetics- what a strand of DNA looks like- where the DNA is. I am sorting out what is larger, genes or DNA, going through the human,, to the animal cell, to the nucleus in the animal cell (an organelle holding DNA) to DNA strands, to genes.
As you can see- I am branching away from ChatGPT and Wikipedia. I still have a very basic understanding of epigenetics- but I am looking towards new websites like science news websites:
The science of super longevity — Big Think
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How Diet Can Change Your DNA — Scientific American
Here is an updated version of what I learnt (with another 50 mins research):
Epigenetics is an area of study in the field of biology and genetics. We have DNA sequences like apes and chimpanzees that are almost identical but they act differently and we are trying to explain that. Part of that is because gene activity sometimes doesn’t alter DNA sequences yet will act different. Some genes can switch on and off which changes how genes act. This change is the study of epigenetics.
So why are tiny on and off switches important? Well think of genes as light switches. Switch them on means the genes tell something called the RNA to tell everything else to start making a protein from the genes sort of instructions (and they are making the room bright) - switch them off and they aren't. This thing called the RNA or mRNA is basically like the cord to the light bulb- like a messenger (at least how I understand it).
You need these on and off switches for lots of biological functions like regulating blood sugar after eating. So sometimes you need some insulin and sometimes you don't or don't want to be wasting energy and resources creating these protiens.
With lots of these little on and off buttons, and lots of rooms that are lit and lots that aren't, you get some interesting outcomes in the human body. So you start tinkering with lots of light switches and then you get some genetics manipulation going, which you can use for a lot of good;
This science is very recent but also very helpful- epigenetics provides hope for things like: personalised medicine, improved disease treatment, environmental health and agriculture production, improved insight on early behavior and cognitive science areas.
The word epigenetics was coined by Conrad H. Waddington in the mid 1900’s which is relatively recent considering this is science, along with another few discoveries about epigenetics a few decades later. So this is recent and scientists really got to work in the beginning of the 2000's.
— —
So I am researching into a really big subject right, like applied physics- its a massive topic. Therefore I am really digging into the thing I find most interesting- which is genes being turned on and off. Of course there is so much more, like DNA methylation, which if I had another few hours I would research, but for the point of the blog we are going to look at the activity of the genes.
This information is enough for a good PowerPoint, a short essay, or just enough to sound really smart when you want to explain epigenetics- but there is so much more in this field of science to learn..
Gene expression- what we just looked at- is a little bit broader but still an important part of epigenetics, but we also have the more specific, standard definition of epigenetics- “heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype that do not involve alterations to the underlying DNA sequence.”
Currently we researched the gene expression, but just from that one sentence, we could learn about, say, the impacts and meaning of heritable changes, and why heritable changes specifically is the highlight of epigenetics. Or, or, cellular phenotype- even, the chemical change of genes. I have many questions about the other parts of the sentence, like what it means to not have gene expression changes impacting DNA sequences, but with my understanding of gene expression, it is enough for me.
The key is, I do not have questions about gene expression, though I could come up with more, my mind is not utterly boggled by the thought of it, now that:
- It is mapped in my mind
- I have some vocabulary about genetics
- I know the important functions of parts that play a role in gene expression
- I know how gene expression relates to genetics, DNA, science, and what it means for the future of epigenetics and the wider world.
- I clean up any questions or big loose threads I have
Now, at the very end, I go back to my first (out of 27) AI prompts and I read back through it- and now I can fully comprehend it. I think, wow I should have known! But how could I have? Learning is not as simple as reading the right thing- its about asking the right questions.
After all of this, maybe you can even understand it now;
Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations to the underlying DNA sequence itself. These changes can be influenced by various factors such as environment, lifestyle, or aging. Unlike genetic mutations, which involve changes to the DNA sequence, epigenetic changes involve modifications that can affect how genes are turned on or off, or how they are expressed.
You can sort these changes through three sort of sections- DNA methylation, Histone modification, and RNA-based modification (being part of what I researched).
Thanks for reading- this turned out to be quite a project, as I probably spent a bit over 3 hours learning about epigenetics, but I hoped it provided insight on how to learn something you have no clue about. Epigenetics was just an obscure example, and learning about science will be different from learning about an event in history (which I could do next), but you can see how I am updating what I am researching through sort of phases. I also hope it inspires you to learn about something obscure too, just so you can yap to your friends. :)
An unprofessional bibliography:
From 1957 to Nowadays: A Brief History of Epigenetics — PMC (nih.gov)
ChatGPT (80% of all my research is here- I did 27 AI prompts which were all very educational)
Modern Epigenetics Methods in Biological Research — PMC (nih.gov)
What are DNA and Genes? (utah.edu)
Human Genome Project — Wikipedia
BASIC GENETICS INFORMATION — Understanding Genetics — NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)
