Genetics receives the most attention in the realm of biology. To be honest, DNA does code for every feature in the body's cells. However, if DNA were faithfully followed, life as we know it today would not exist. Humans, as multicellular organisms, would be very different. You might be asking yourself, "Why?"
Consider the following scenario. You're aware of the various sorts of cells in your body. There are liver cells, neurons, muscle cells, immunological cells, and various other types of cells. Each one has a distinct function and a set of traits that are required to carry out that purpose. However, they all have the same genetic code. Every single one of the trillions of cells in our body has the identical DNA. So, why do certain cells behave like neurons while others behave like muscle cells?
The epigenome is responsible for this. In programming terms, if DNA is the digital hardcode in our cells, the epigenome is the analog code that allows us to understand and use the DNA.
The epigenome is a very flexible code that regulates which parts of the genome are expressed, or switched on, and which parts are not. It accomplishes this by altering the chromosome's structure.
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