Welcome to the laboratory of Randy Jirtle in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Duke University. Extensive human epidemiological studies and experimental animal results support the early origins of adult disease hypothesis [Jirtle and Skinner]. This theory proposes the intriguing idea that the evolution of developmental epigenetic plasticity, which enables an organism to adapt to environmental signals during early life, can also increase the risk of developing chronic diseases when there is a mismatch between the perceived environment and that which is encountered in adulthood. Moreover, these environmentally-induced epigenetic modifications can leave a transgenerational legacy because they are not always completely erased during egg and sperm formation. The overall objective of our research is to define those targets in humans that are epigenetically labile, so that we can better diagnose, prevent, and treat human diseases and neurological disorders.