Before conducting research and watching numerous informative videos on epigenetics, I never would have believed that when my grandmother was my age, she made food decisions that affected me. Technically speaking, epigenetics simply means “above genetics.” In other words, epigenetics is about the traits that you and I inherit, but they don't necessarily require the sequencing of genes. It took me a while to actually grasp the concept until I thought about it from a musical perspective. Imagine the strands of our DNA helix as a musical score. Different musical notes exist because genes exist. If someone played Beethoven's Fifth Symphony correctly, it would sound the same every time. Basically, if you change one note, the entire piece of music will sound different. It's the same for the human body. Our genomes (musical notes) make up our DNA and who we are (musical score). Although the score of Beethoven's Symphony and our genomes will remain the same throughout our lives, our epigenomes tend to change or alter. There's more to sheet music than just notes. What about articulations that tell us to play the note shorter or louder? This is exactly what our epigenomes are. They are adjustments that have been attached to our genomes. Epigenomes tell each of our cells what our specific job is. That's why skin cells know they're skin cells and muscle cells know they're muscle cells. All in all, our genomes are doing all the work that epigenomes tell them to do. The NOVA Science Now video on epigenetics has had an immense impact on my knowledge of epigenetics. This video helped me understand what epigenomes are made of. Epigenomes are influenced by two chemical compounds, methyl groups and histones. The methyl g…… in the center of the paper…… leads to “turning off” this arrangement. In other words, this causes neurological disruption on epigenomes. That said, Rett syndrome is truly an example of a disease caused by a genetic variation that disrupts epigenetic processes. These methyl groups that have been altered are also found in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder genes. Bostrom and Sodhi believe this suggests that entire physiological pathways may be compromised by altered epigenetic processes. Works Cited Bostrom, J. A., & Sodhi, M. (2013). A look into the future: epigenetics in psychiatric disorders and treatment. (pp. 225-246). Waltham, MA: Academic Press: Elsevier. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123919182000160National Human Genome Research Institute, (2012). Epigenomics. Retrieved from website: http://www.genome.gov/27532724