Epigenetics, though, does not refer to changes in the DNA code but to changes that can turn a gene “on” or “off.” And these changes, it turns out, can be passed from generation to generation. Epigenetics helps determine outcomes through biological processes that impact the way proteins access or “read” a gene. Smoking, working night shifts, infections, stress, famine—all have been shown to cause epigenetic changes in the body, some of which can be passed on.
