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Genetics is the study of variations in phenotype that result from variations in the DNA sequence (mutations). Epigenetics can be defined as the study of phenotypic changes that occur without a change in DNA sequence. One epigenetic mechanism is hypermethylation of cytosines that precede guanosines in the promoter region of genes, a chemical change that shuts down the transcription of the associated gene. Such a change strongly influences gene expression patterns but does not alter the DNA sequence. It has long been thought that all epigenetic changes are erased during meiosis, so that only true genetic changes are transmitted from parent to child. However, recent research demonstrates that even epigenetic changes can be inherited, as became…