We had a fantastic day engaging with members of the public and talking about Epigenetics at the Oxford Science + Ideas festival. Children enjoyed modifying our plasticine histone model, and everyone appreciated real world examples of how Epigenetics is an important area of research. We showed people that identical twins differ because of the different environments they experience, using NASA twins Scott and Mark Kelly as a unique example of two very different environments! We also found some great examples of how Epigenetics affects animals: bees have completely different roles based on their diet during development, and that the sex of some species of turtles differ depending on the temperature of incubation. Massive thank you to all the members of the group that contributed to the design and delivery of our exhibit, and a huge thank you to the festival organisers. (Blog by Grace Roper)
