The concept of “nature and nurture” is used to distinguish between genetic and
environmental influences on the formation of individual, mainly behavioral,
traits. Different approaches that interpret nature and nurture as completely
opposite or complementary aspects of human development have been
discussed for decades. The paper addresses the most important points of nature
vs nurture debate from the perspective of biological research, especially in the
light of the recent findings in the field of epigenetics. The most important
biological concepts, such as the trait, phenotype and genotype, as well as the
evolution of other crucial notions are presented. Various attempts to find the
main source of human variation are discussed – mainly the search for structural
variants and the genome-wide association studies (GWAS). A new approach
resulting from the discovery of “missing heritability”, as well as the current
knowledge about the possible influence of epigenetic mechanisms on human
traits are analyzed. Finally, the impact of epigenetic revolution on the society
(public attitude, health policy, human rights etc.) is discussed.