This book helps transform the awareness of the anticipatory perspective into actionable methods for practitioners of medicine. It provides guidance for those who design new means and methods inspired by epigenetics, in particular to those who advance sustainable alternatives.

This book formulates a relativistic theory of biology, challenging the common gene-centred view of organisms.

This open access textbook leads the reader from basic concepts of chromatin structure and function and RNA mechanisms to the understanding of epigenetics, imprinting, regeneration and reprogramming. The textbook treats epigenetic phenomena in animals, as well as plants. Written by four internationally known experts and senior lecturers in this field, it provides a valuable tool for Master- and PhD- students who need to comprehend the principles of epigenetics, or wish to gain a deeper knowledge in this field. After reading this book, the student will: Have an understanding of the basic toolbox of epigenetic regulation Know how genetic and epigenetic information layers are interconnected Be able to explain complex epigenetic phenomena by understanding the structures and principles of the underlying molecular mechanisms Understand how misregulated epigenetic mechanisms can lead to disease

This book is concerned with the notion of strong anticipation. Clearly defined necessary and sufficient conditions are laid out.The focus lies on strong anticipation as delay and distance compensation (as in temporal recalibration and synchronization of coupled systems). Of particular interest are delays which correspond to a boundary shift between a systemic whole and its context. Such boundary shifts result from assignment conditions which determine what belongs to the systemic whole and what belongs to its context. Delay and distance compensation is described, along with long-range correlations, against the background of a theory of time capable of describing anticipative systems. My Theory of Fractal Time describes anticipatory systems in terms of two temporal dimensions: succession and simultaneity, which are defined and measured in Δtdepth, Δtlength and Δtdensity. These extensions form an extended present and allow a quantified comparison of obserpants' (observer-participants') temporal interfaces. Compensated delays are revealed as phenomenal blind spots, which result in a new kind of relativity: What may be compensated for obserpant A is delayed for obserpant B.Compensated delays are ubiquitous and can be found in both cognitive and physical processes. Examples are temporal recalibration to restore degraded visuomotor adaptation, coupling environment and brain, biosemiotics and homeostatic processes, dynamical diseases, embedded and situated robots, control loops with inserted or removed delays, cellular automata, analog and digital notions of trust, transitional objects and potential spaces, our perception of time and judgement of duration. It is proposed that compensated delays emerge as natural laws.

Epigenetics is the most exciting field in biology today, developing our understanding of how and why we inherit certain traits, develop diseases and age, and evolve as a species. This non-fiction comic book introduces us to genetics, cell biology and the fascinating science of epigenetics, which is rapidly filling in the gaps in our knowledge, allowing us to make huge advances in medicine. We'll look at what identical twins can teach us about the epigenetic effects of our environment and experiences, why certain genes are 'switched on' or off at various stages of embryonic development, and how scientists have reversed the specialization of cells to clone frogs from a single gut cell. In Introducing Epigenetics, Cath Ennis and Oliver Pugh pull apart the double helix, examining how the epigenetic building blocks and messengers that interpret and edit our genes help to make us, well, us.

The exploding field of epigenetics is challenging the dogma of traditional Mendelian inheritance. Epigenetics plays an important role in shaping who we are and contributes to our prospects of health and disease. While early epigenetic research focused on plant and animal models and in vitro experiments, population-based epidemiologic studies increasingly incorporate epigenetic components. The relevance of epigenetic marks, such as DNA methylation, genomic imprinting, and histone modification for disease causation has yet to be fully explored.This book covers the basic concepts of epigenetic epidemiology, discusses challenges in study design, analysis, and interpretation, epigenetic laboratory techniques, the influence of age and environmental factors on shaping the epigenome, the role of epigenetics in the developmental origins hypothesis, and provides the state of the art on the epigenetic epidemiology of various health conditions including childhood syndromes, cancer, infectious diseases, inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, psychiatric disorders, diabetes, obesity and metabolic disorders, and atherosclerosis. With contributions from: Peter Jones, Jean-Pierre Issa, Gavin Kelsey, Robert Waterland, and many other experts in epigenetics!

Transgenerational Epigenetics provides a comprehensive analysis of the inheritance of epigenetic phenomena between generations. Recent research points to the existence of biological phenomena that are controlled not through gene mutations, but rather through reversible and heritable epigenetic processes. Epidemiological studies have suggested that environmental factors may be heritable. In fact, environmental factors often play a role in transgenerational epigenetics, which may have selective or adverse effects on the offspring. This epigenetic information can be transferred through a number of mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modifications or RNA and the effects can persist for multiple generations. This book examines the evolution of epigenetic inheritance, its expression in animal and plant models, and how human diseases, such as metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases, appear to be affected by transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. It discusses clinical interventions in transgenerational epigenetic inheritance that may be on the horizon to help prevent diseases before the offspring are born, or to reduce the severity of diseases at the very earliest stages of development in utero, and current controversies in this area of study, as well as future directions for research. Focused discussion of metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases and longevity, which appear most affected by reversible and heritable epigenetic processes Encompasses both foundational and clinical aspects including discussions of preventative in utero therapies Covers history, future outlook, disease management and current controversies