How does a gene “decide” when to initiate the construction of the protein it codes for, and whether there will be one or ten thousand copies made? Implicit in this question is the popular view of genes as the be-all and end-all, the code of codes in regulating what goes on in your body. As it turns out, genes decide nothing, are out at sea. Saying that a gene decides when to generate its associated protein is like saying that the recipe decides when to bake the cake that it codes for. Instead, genes are turned on and off by environment. What is meant here by environment? It can be the
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