Emerging Evidence Challenges Traditional Views on Inheritance and Evolutionary Theory
By
DiabloD3
Fresh out the oven, still warm. Top of the tray.
Summary
The article examines emerging evidence challenging traditional evolutionary theory, particularly the long-held belief that acquired characteristics cannot be inherited. It discusses experiments showing transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in mice, where learned fears were passed to offspring, and explores how these findings are prompting debates about whether evolutionary biology needs a major theoretical overhaul. The piece presents arguments from both sides - those advocating for a paradigm shift and those cautioning against overstating the significance of epigenetic findings.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledWhen researchers at Emory University in Atlanta trained mice to fear the smell of almonds (by pairing it with electric shocks), they found, to their consternation, that both the children and grandchildren of these mice were spontaneously afraid of the same smell.
Generations of schoolchildren have been taught that the inheritance of acquired characteristics is impossible.
A mouse should not be born with something its parents have learned during their lifetimes, any more than a mouse that loses its tail in an accident should give birth to tailless mice.
Is evolutionary science due for a major overhaul – or is talk of 'revolution' misguided?
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