quote:
The conventional view is that DNA carries all our heritable information and
that nothing an individual does in their lifetime will be biologically
passed to their children. To many scientists, epigenetics amounts to a
heresy, calling into question the accepted view of the DNA sequence – a
cornerstone on which modern biology sits.

Epigenetics adds a whole new layer to genes beyond the DNA. It proposes a
control system of 'switches' that turn genes on or off – and suggests that
things people experience, like nutrition and stress, can control these
switches and cause heritable effects in humans.

comment:

I am aware that new research is coming to light challenging what we think we
know about genetics. But it does not, as yet, discredit the traditional
notions of heredity. And you certainly can't refer to it as giving credence
to misinformed theories until we know *a lot more*.

These new findings, as well as the discovery that genetic material can be
transferred via viruses and the like, will *supplement* rather than overturn
our understanding of inheritance and controlled breeding. A lot of people
are uncomfortable with the idea that science is constantly rewriting itself.

isis

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