It is too soon to discount genetics, however, because the science of “epigenetics” – the study of mechanisms for turning genes on and off, thus changing the way a cell develops without altering the genetic code – is gaining traction. Indeed, the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for revolutionizing scientists’ understanding of how cells develop by reprogramming DNA and cells without altering their genetic structure.
小看遗传学还为时尚早，因为“发育遗传学”——研究基因开关的机制，从而在不改变遗传编码的情况下改变细胞发育状况——正在成为显学。事实上，2012年诺贝尔医学奖得主约翰·戈登和山中伸弥的成就便是对科学家通过在不改变遗传结构的情况下对DNA和细胞重新编码而理解细胞如何发育做出了革命性贡献。