Determining the age of a wild beluga is quite a challenge. So when American researchers announce that they are developing a beluga aging technique based on a tiny skin sample, inevitably, we want to know more! Working with the belugas of Cook Inlet, Alaska, the team has succeeded in establishing an \u201cepigenetic clock\u201d. Though this technique is not new, this is the first time it is being used in a population of belugas. Whales Online<\/i> takes a look at this scientific publication through four key questions.<\/p>\nWhat is an \u201cepigenetic clock\u201d?<\/b><\/h2>\n
Our DNA corresponds to our genetic background, the personal library that contains all the information about us. But inside our bodies, not every cell reads this immense library in its entirety, only the handful of books it actually needs. Thus, the field of epigenetics is concerned with all the elements that define which genes are used or not in each case and in each place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Determining the age of a wild beluga is quite a challenge. So when American researchers announce that they are developing a beluga aging technique based on a tiny skin sample, inevitably, we want to know more! Working with the belugas of Cook Inlet, Alaska, the team has succeeded in establishing an \u201cepigenetic clock\u201d. Though this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":44824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[20,1655,443,488,1696,622],"class_list":["post-53594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-beluga-en","tag-beluga-whale","tag-conservation-en","tag-endangered-species","tag-genetic","tag-recherche-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n