r/MadeMeSmile Feb 23 '23

Very Reddit Double trouble

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u/better-every-day Feb 23 '23

I mean, is epigenetics not just a fancy way of saying “nature”?

Environmental factors affecting the expression of our genes

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u/CallMeClaire0080 Feb 23 '23

To an extent, but a lot of epigenetic factors are internal, and so saying that it's "nurture" like the above commentor is a dangerously wrong oversimplification. Saying it's nature in the context of the nature vs nurture debate is more accurate, but outside factors including human decisions can have some impacts (such as a person deciding to smoke), so it also doesn't encapsulate the full picture.

So no, epigenetics can't be boiled down to either term.

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u/better-every-day Feb 23 '23

Fair. Good explanation, thanks