Numerous insect species have evolved the ability to camouflage
themselves. Some that live in trees or other foliage have adapted to look
like twigs or thorns, enabling them to escape the notice of birds. The
chameleon is probably the best known of the “camouflagers,” and it owes
its color-changing abilities to the genetic expression of proteins. In these
processes, genes encode the conditions of the external world. That’s
evolution, right?
Epigenetics Suggests That We Can Signal
Our Genes to Rewrite Our Future
Our genes are as changeable as our brains. The latest research in genetics
shows that different genes are activated at different times—they are always
in flux and being influenced. There are experience-dependent genes that are
activated when there is growth, healing, or learning; and there are
behavioral-state-dependent genes that are influenced during stress,
emotional arousal, or dreaming.^6
One of the most active areas of research today is epigenetics (literally,
“above genetics”), the study of how the environment controls gene activity.
Epigenetics flies in the face of the conventional genetic model, which stated
that DNA controls all of life and that all gene expression takes place inside
the cell. This old understanding doomed us to a predictable future in which
our destiny fell prey to our genetic inheritance, and all cellular life was
predetermined, like an automatic “ghost in the machine.”
In fact, epigenetic changes in DNA expression can be passed on to future
generations. But how do they get passed on if the DNA code stays the
same?
While a scientific explanation is beyond the scope of this book, we can
use an analogy. Let’s compare a genetic sequence to a blueprint. Imagine
that you start with a blueprint for a house, and scan it into your computer.
Then, using Photoshop, you could alter its appearance on the screen,
changing a number of characteristics without changing the blueprint. For
example, you could change the expression of variables such as color, size,
scale, dimensions, materials, and so on. Thousands of people (representing