Does Environment affect genes?

[gene]

Well, i know that we all have genetic idenetities from our parents. However, my question is, for example, i have a not so intelligent father and mother, and i turn out not so intelligent too as a baby. But, when i grow up, i learnt lots of things, have an expanded knowledge. Which i can say, i turned smart after learning.. which is caused by environmental factors.

 

So, would this change in intelligence also change the gene in my genome (accounted for the part in intellignce) to change too?

 

So that when i have offsprings, my child would be smart and intelligent given that my husband is intelligent too?

[aommaster]

Well, I don't know about other genes, but a scientist called Francis Galton did some research and found out that intelligence IS inherited from parents, although motivation can affect results!

In other words "People get their brains from their parents, but some don't use them!"

 

So, intelligence is inherited, but it also depends on the environment, the amount of motivation you have, the skill of teachers etc.

As for other genes, I'm not sure!

[JaKiri]

aommaster said in post #2 :

Well, I don't know about other genes, but a scientist called Francis Galton did some research and found out that intelligence IS inherited from parents, although motivation can affect results!

 

Biology is a complicated thing, and current knowledge should be preferred to that from over a century ago, imo.

 

As to 'affecting the genes', no it can't.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Only diseases will modify the genes.

[JaKiri]

A lot of things will alter genes. But things like 'working harder in school' won't.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Obviously. Otherwise my genes would be a lot different now

[Radical Edward]

that's called lamarckism. It was falsified long long ago.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Yeah, if it actually happened some of my cells would be different from others. Then one might think the other is a virus and kill it and I would die.

[Glider]

gene said in post #1 :

Well, i know that we all have genetic idenetities from our parents. However, my question is, for example, i have a not so intelligent father and mother, and i turn out not so intelligent too as a baby. But, when i grow up, i learnt lots of things, have an expanded knowledge. Which i can say, i turned smart after learning.. which is caused by environmental factors.

 

So, would this change in intelligence also change the gene in my genome (accounted for the part in intellignce) to change too?

 

So that when i have offsprings, my child would be smart and intelligent given that my husband is intelligent too?

 

You seem to be confusing intelligence with knowledge. If you consider that a defining characteristic of intelligence is the capacity to learn, then that fact that you have 'learned lots of things' suggests a degree of intelligence. If, as you suggest, your parents were not so intelligent, then this suggests that your intelligence is a result of environmental factors as opposed to hereditory factors. If this is so, then the intelligence of your child(ren) will depend more on how they are raised, and in what environment, than on your (or your husbands') genotype.

 

In any event, skills and abilities learned in one lifetime do not alter the genes of an individual (e.g. body builders will not produce more physically developed offspring).

[Glider]

gene said in post #1 :

Well, i know that we all have genetic idenetities from our parents. However, my question is, for example, i have a not so intelligent father and mother, and i turn out not so intelligent too as a baby. But, when i grow up, i learnt lots of things, have an expanded knowledge. Which i can say, i turned smart after learning.. which is caused by environmental factors.

 

So, would this change in intelligence also change the gene in my genome (accounted for the part in intellignce) to change too?

 

So that when i have offsprings, my child would be smart and intelligent given that my husband is intelligent too?

 

You seem to be confusing intelligence with knowledge. If you consider that a defining characteristic of intelligence is the capacity to learn, then that fact that you have 'learned lots of things' suggests a degree of intelligence. If, as you suggest, your parents were not so intelligent, then this suggests that your intelligence is a result of environmental factors as opposed to hereditory factors. If this is so, then the intelligence of your child(ren) will depend more on how they are raised, and in what environment, than on your (or your husbands') genotype.

 

In any event, skills and abilities learned in one lifetime do not alter the genes of an individual (e.g. body builders will not produce muscular offspring).

[iglak]

i have a question. (which leads to a hypothesis/theory, but it might be wrong so the question first)

 

what exactly are horomones, and what exactly can they do. i know they "activate" things (at least i think so), but how and why and what kinds of things?

 

and, is addrenalin a horomone?

[Skye]

Hormones are chemical signals that are released by cells into the blood and tissue fluids to reach distance target cells. Most act by binding to a receptor on the outside of the cell membrane that initiates a biochemical pathway that directs protein synthesis.

 

Adrenalin is a steroid hormone, which are transported through the cell membranes to act directly by binding to the promoter of genes to turn them on or off.

[gene]

So basically, how can you deduce how smart/intelligent (not sure whether it has a difference or not.) a person is?

[JaKiri]

There is no absolute comparison.

[iglak]

Skye said in post #12 :

Hormones are chemical signals that are released by cells into the blood and tissue fluids to reach distance target cells. Most act by binding to a receptor on the outside of the cell membrane that initiates a biochemical pathway that directs protein synthesis.

 

Adrenalin is a steroid hormone, which are transported through the cell membranes to act directly by binding to the promoter of genes to turn them on or off.

if this is true, then horomone flow drastically effects how you grow and who you grow up to be (i assume).

i know for almost fact that adrenalin flow is controlled mostly by the brain, sometimes semi-consciously. are other horomones controlled by the brain, or is it just adrenalin?

 

putting these two together (assuming that they are correct), the environment effects how you grow and who you grow up to be through horomones.

 

so, the brain is built from genes (basically, very basically) which determines, basically in what way one learns. the brain reacts to stimulus, using what the brain learned, by causing or allowing horomone flow, which directs protien synthesis and toggles genes. since our cells grow and act based on protien synthesis, our bodies, being a collection of specialized cells, grow and act on protien synthesis, thus horomones and genes not controlled by horomones, thus the brian and genes, thus the environment and genes.

 

P.S. my evidence for adrenalin being controlled by the brain: 1) the fight or flight response, 2) i noticed that i can induce certain emotions in myself (namely anger and panic i'm also good at stopping them), and the end result is a feeling that i believe is caused by more adrenalin.

[Guest Jake]

In reply to the original topic of this post " Does the environment affect genes",

The environment directly affects the expression of your genes, you are actually reliant upon the environment. DNA in a vacuum does very little.

I think a common analogy is to think of DNA as a recipe. A recipe does nothing at all without an environment that allows for the rules of the recipe(salt dissolves in water, heat cooks things) in addition to providing the raw ingredients(need salt and water in the first place for the above statement).

 

Obviously real gene expression is vastly more complicated than that, but its probably helpful to start there.

 

I think this can be applied to physical as well as mental development.

 

Also what glider mentioned is very important, not to confuse intelligence with knowledge

 

-jacob

[mossoi]

You cannot directly affect your genes by learning although it may help to improve the genes of your offspring.

 

Your knowledge and learning may help you to find a naturally more intelligent partner so the chances of your offspring being more intelligent increases.

 

As for the question "Does the environment affect genes" - it most certainly does but not in any immediate, spontaneous way.

 

Imagine a situation where your community is exposed to a toxin that affects some people more than others. Over time those that are affected the most will die off and be removed from the gene pool while those that are immune will take their place. Or a ridiculous example: take a community of humans that are suddenly forced to live high in the tree tops. Those that are too heavy to climb or cause the branches to break will ultimately perish while those who can be supported will thrive. The weight of people is both genetic and environmentaly controlled so over time all of those bloodlines who are genetically heavy will be removed along with some lighter bloodlines who are heavy for reasons other than genes.

 

Even though individuals from both groups will be eliminated the overall effect will be to remove the heavier individuals over generations.

[gene]

So what is the difference between smart, intelligent, knowledgable and what else? ( what other words.) i would like to know the difference.

 

Thanks in advance.

[JaKiri]

gene said in post #18 :

So what is the difference between smart, intelligent, knowledgable and what else? ( what other words.) i would like to know the difference.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Well, the simplest comparison would be between someone who can remember everything, yet is as thick as two short planks, and someone who is scatter brained but a genius.

[michael]

Only diseases will modify the genes.

 

The environment will effect the expression of genetic material

[neiduren]

P=G+E.

phenotype=genetic+enviroment.

[Mr Skeptic]

that's called lamarckism. It was falsified long long ago.

 

An yet they have now found that something similar does indeed happen. Certain critters which can switch genes on or off can transmit the switch to their offspring, which seems kind of like lamarckism . The difference, of course, being that the critter already had the gene and a switch.