Conrad Waddington the father of Epigenetics


Conrad Waddington originated the term epigenetics from the Greek term for "above" or "epi," the genes.

He was a fascinating individual. He was probably a polymath genius. He was not a respecter of tradition. When he saw things in the lab that did not follow the rule of NeoDarwinism, he was quick to point out such observations. 

One such observation was made in fruit flies, a standard model for studying genetics.

He noticed that if the larvae were subjected to heat, the veins in the developed fly wings would show a different pattern. After several generations, these changes could become permanent. He realized this was far too quick for neo-Darwinian changes. He concluded there must be something going on top of the genes, ergo epigenetics.

Other scientists of this field called evo-devo (evolution-development) realized the same thing. However, the main drivers of evolutionary theory were the population geneticists, and they dismissed his findings."

With newer technologies, especially over the last 20 years, Conrad Waddington's observations have been corroborated. This has caused a significant setback to standard evolutionary thinking, but most are starting to get on board. It is rarer and rarer to see a paper discussing evolution that does not take into account epigenetics.

If scientists had incorporated Waddington's observations into their theories, we might be at least fifty years ahead in medicine.

Today a vast number of articles are coming out of the medical field, with no mention of evolution. They want to get at the root of disease, and evolutionary theory contributes very little to this.

We are now in the Golden Age of medicine. The majority of illnesses like Alzheimer's, diabetes, and most cancers are being discovered to be epigenetic phenomena.

Think if we followed Conrad Waddington over 70 years ago. When your doctor discovered your cancer, you'd likely have been cured in a matter of weeks.

Evolution evolved into a quasi-religious commitment to a false theory. The setback to science and medicine is staggering.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Epigenetics explains Neanderthal and Human differences better than Neo-Darwinism

Image
Article :” Unveiling the Epigenetic Landscape of Our Closest Extinct Relatives: A Tale of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA Methylation,” by Nobel Laureate Svante Pääbo, Science (4/14) The realm of epigenetics, a relatively young branch of genetics, delves into the intricate interplay between genes and their environment, deciphering how factors beyond DNA sequence influence gene expression. DNA methylation, a key epigenetic mechanism, involves the addition of a methyl group to cytosine bases, altering gene activity. By unraveling ancient DNA methylation patterns, scientists have gained unprecedented insights into the epigenetic landscape of our long-lost relatives – the Neanderthals and Denisovans. Harnessing the power of computational methods, researchers have ingeniously reconstructed the DNA methylation maps of Neanderthals and Denisovans, capitalizing on the natural degradation processes of methylated and unmethylated cytosines in ancient DNA. By comparing these methylatio
Read more

Many Evolutionists can't "evolve" with Epigenetics

Image
M any evolutionists believe that epigenetics challenges neo-Darwinism. Neo-Darwinism is the prevailing theory of evolution, and it states that evolution is driven by natural selection, which acts on random mutations in the DNA sequence. Epigenetics, on the other hand, is the study of changes in gene expression that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence itself. Epigenetic changes can be passed down from parents to offspring, and they can be influenced by the environment. This raises a number of challenges for neo-Darwinism. First, it challenges the view that natural selection is the only driving force in evolution. Epigenetic changes can occur without mutations in the DNA sequence, so they can provide a way for organisms to adapt to their environment more quickly than natural selection alone can explain. Second, it challenges the view that evolution is a gradual process. Epigenetic changes can be large and sudden , and they can have a significant impact on an
Read more

Why are Christian philosophers running towards Darwin while biologists are "running" away?

Image
As nature reveals the strength of epigenetics and the weakness of Neo-Darwinism, biologists are “running” away from the long-standing accepted theory. In The Federalist , April 2019, Benjamin Dierker reviews “Why one-third of biologists now question Darwinism”: "Current estimates are that approximately one-third of professional academic biologists who do not believe in intelligent design find Darwin’s Theory inadequate to describe all of the complexity in biology.” Dierker continues, “The important note is that these are not ideologues or religious zealots, nor do they propose a god or biblical solution.  Rather, they find problems in the lack of explanatory power of Darwin’s theory in light of modern understanding of mutation, variation, DNA sequencing and more. These expressions of doubt do not reject naturalism or evolution per se, but the rigor of the Neo-Darwinian model for explaining the development of life.” For 40 years, scientists calculated natural se
Read more