# Can behavior affect our DNA **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 7, 2023, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-behavior-affect-our-dna/992736 "2023-11-07T06:40:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 3
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-behavior-affect-our-dna/992736/3 "2023-11-07T11:57:04Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I followed a conversation on this yesterday, and it got me to thinking of ways our behavior might be translated in someway to our genetic code we passed on… Our behavior obviously determines _whether_ our genetic code is passed on, as @DPRK notes. Our behavior can also affect the DNA mutation rate in germline cells through exposure to mutagens, but this is only the rate at which functionally random changes occur. In response to the environment (i.e. including our behavioral interaction with the environment), the genome in many cells is constantly modified _without_ changing the DNA base sequence to modulate what information is read out and in what quantity. These are called **epigenetic** modifications, and these are highly significant as a key part of the organism’s response to the environment. Some of these epigenetic changes are more persistent, and in some cases have been shown to persist across one or more generations, a process called **transgenerational epigenetic inheritance**. However, the significance of this aspect has been exaggerated based on limited evidence, and there is no evidence at all that it has any affect on evolution over more than a few generations. > [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > The only thing I could think of was that chemicals and hormones produced in our brain might react more with certain sperm stimulating them to have a better chance of reaching the egg. This is preposterous, both in the “how” and the “why” of it. Some background reading about real science: > **[Lamarckism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamarckism)** > > Lamarckism, also known as Lamarckian inheritance or neo-Lamarckism, is the notion that an organism can pass on to its offspring physical characteristics that the parent organism acquired through use or disuse during its lifetime. It is also called the inheritance of acquired characteristics or more recently soft inheritance. The idea is named after the French zoologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744–1829), who incorporated the classical era theory of soft inheritance into his theory of evolution > **[Central dogma of molecular biology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_dogma_of_molecular_biology)** > > The central dogma of molecular biology is an explanation of the flow of genetic information within a biological system. It is often stated as "DNA makes RNA, and RNA makes protein", although this is not its original meaning. It was first stated by Francis Crick in 1957, then published in 1958: > The Central Dogma. This states that once "information" has passed into protein it cannot get out again. In more detail, the transfer of information from nucleic acid to nucleic acid, or from nucleic acid t... > **[Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgenerational_epigenetic_inheritance)** > > Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance is the transmission of epigenetic markers and modifications from one generation to multiple subsequent generations without altering the primary structure of DNA. Thus, the regulation of genes via epigenetic mechanisms can be heritable; the amount of transcripts and proteins produced can be altered by inherited epigenetic changes. In order for epigenetic marks to be heritable, however, they must occur in the gametes in animals, but since plants lack a de It... --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-behavior-affect-our-dna/992736)._