Duke Scientists Map 'Silenced Genes'

palegray.net writes "Wired reports on new research into the phenomenon of 'silenced genes', genetic constructs that have no 'partner' in case one goes wrong over the course of your lifetime. Scientists at Duke University have mapped some 200 genes that may 'play a profound role' in the health of the average human. 'Many of the newly found imprinted genes are in regions of chromosomes already linked to the development of obesity, diabetes, cancer and some other major diseases, the researchers reported ... Scientists had thought imprinted genes would account for about 1 percent of the human genome. While scientists must double-check that the newly identified ones are truly silenced, the new map matches that tally.'"

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Re:With

[wizardforce]

you are correct, the gist of the research goes like this:
1) some genes can be switched on or off by environmental factors [chemicals, other genes etc.]
2)if one of these cells that has a switched on/off gene just happens to be a sperm cell or an egg, it can carry that epigenetics to the next generation.
3) some genes can only be inherited functional from one parent
4) if that parent happens to be the one that has the inactivated [switched off] gene then that gene is entirely non-functional in the offspring because there is no functional back up gene from the other parent.
this leads to the conclusion that environmental factors can alter gene expression which can be inherited to offspring which under some conditions and genes no longer have a functional gene that may or may not prevent disease, that is to say if the gene is inactivated you're likely to get the associated disease. In many cases, these genes are thought to be involved in obesity, heart disease, cancer etc. which means that environmental factors in your parent's lives or even your grandparent's may contribute to you being more likely to get a certain disease associated with a non-functional gene.