Narrator: Neil Ross. An episode of the PBS series Nova. Originally broadcast by the BBC in 2006; originally broadcast by WGBH in 2007. Copyright dates on ending credits: 2006, 2007; copyright date on container: 2008. Special features: teaching materials (PDF; 10 p.); link to Nova web site.
While the discovery of DNA appeared to supplant much, or possibly all, of the nature vs. nurture question, this documentary highlights how life choices , stress, nutrition, may in fact impact or even change DNA processes. The filmmakers explore newer evidence that suggests DNA replication may not be as automatic as had been thought, and is shaped and affected by a second "epigenetic" chemical code that reacts with environmental changes, activating or deactivating various genes, all with potentially dramatic and even permanent results. As such, the nature vs. nurture question gains new prominence and new import, with the implication that people's choices with their own lives and the lives of their children have far-reaching consequences.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.