Science Questions

Does your DNA change through life?

We put this question to Kat Arney.

Kat -   I could talk about this one for hours but basically yes it does.  You pick up mistakes in your DNA as you go through your life due to damage from things like tobacco smoke, from the sun, and just from your own metabolism. That’s eventually what causes things like cancer. And also, you get what are called epigenetic changes. These are changes to kind of the code around your DNA. So yes, your DNA is very different when you’re older from when you’re younger.

May 2009