ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Paramutation

Okay kiddo, imagine you have a toy and you have a friend who has the same toy as yours but it looks a little different in color. Now, when you and your friend play with your toys together for a while, something magical happens; the color of your toy changes to look exactly like your friend's toy! This is how paramutation works!

In science, paramutation is a process where two genes of matching sets interact with each other to create a permanent change in one of the genes. When two genes come together, their DNA molecules talk to each other and something amazing happens; they switch their DNA code, changing the way they work.

This change is permanent, which means that every time the gene gets passed on to the next generation, it will look the same as the changed gene, just like your toy changed color permanently! This process helps genes to adapt to new environments and situations, which is important for survival.

Scientists are still studying how exactly paramutation works, but they have discovered that this process happens in many species, including plants and animals, and can even happen between different species in some cases!

So remember, paramutation is a cool process where two genes interact with each other, and one of them changes forever, just like how your toy can change color when you play with your friend's toy!