DNA or should I say deoxyribonucleic acid is a double-stranded polymer of nucleotides that carries the genetic information of an organism and is found in the nucleus. DNA is replicated by the cell and controls cellular processes. Cells all have the same DNA, but only certain sets of genes are expressed while others are inhibited. This ensures that the body makes the necessary cells, tissues and organs. Epigenetics is responsible for this; Epigenetic changes determine which proteins are transcribed by turning genes on or off, depending on the body's needs. It is non-coding DNA, also known as junk DNA, that contains key elements such as enhancers and silencers for transcription, allowing cells to regulate when and where to express "activate" each protein and each RNA. RNA transcribes the code to build the proteins the cell needs. Epigenetics is the answer to many questions scientists have asked over the years regarding inherited traits not found in DNA. Recently, scientists have talked a lot about how experiences you had in your youth, such as trauma or stress, can contribute to mental illness. or addiction by causing epigenetic changes in your genes. These epigenetic changes have the ability to activate or deactivate genes without altering the code contained in the DNA (only by expressing certain parts of it). This change can chemically influence gene activity without changing the information contained in those genes. Epigenetic changes can change how active your genes are and how the brain responds to certain experiences. Many scientists, including Eric J Nestler, believe that these epigenetic changes, or as he calls them, epigenetic marks, are the reason why mental illness can be passed down from generation to generation....... middle of the 'article......and through the sexual process Nestler said it best: "Exposure to the environment and different experiences (including random events) throughout development and age adult can change the activity of our genes and, therefore, the way these traits manifest themselves. What researchers still don't understand is how and to what extent epigenetics influences our behavioral traits and susceptibility to mental illness and whether these vulnerabilities can be passed on to future generations. Another mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has also been the subject of studies regarding epigenetics. Is it possible that second-generation survivors of the Holocaust or wars have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol? If your parents suffer from the mood swings, irritability, nervousness, and hypervigilance typical of PTSD, will you end up like that too ??