Jinn of Quality and Risk

Common nutrients can influence which genes turn on and off in a developing fetus, and help explain some of the factors that decide which genes "express" and which remain silent. Writing in ... the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology, the scientists at Duke University Medical Center said they changed the color of baby mouse fur by feeding pregnant mice four supplements -- vitamin B12, folic acid, choline and betaine. Mice given the four supplements gave birth to babies predominantly with brown coats. Pregnant mice not fed the supplements gave birth mostly to babies with yellow coats. This confirms that cloned babies are likely to develop somewhat differently from the "original" copy (unlike real twins who simultaneously share the diet of a unique mother), as has already been observed in cloned pigs. In other words, genes (DNA) are not a unique factor determining the characteristics of a given being, one must also take into account gestation, i.e. the conditions of growth. Two flowers, even with the exact same genetic code, will grow completely differently depending on their access to soil nutrients, water, sunlight, and proportions of atmospheric nutrients (such as CO2).