Many Evolutionists can't "evolve" with Epigenetics
Many 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 organism's phenotype. This suggests that evolution can occur more rapidly than neo-Darwinian theory can explain.
Third, it challenges the view that evolution is irreversible. Some epigenetic changes are reversible, even across generations. This suggests that evolution is not as linear as neo-Darwinian theory suggests.
Despite these challenges, some evolutionists believe that epigenetics can be incorporated into neo-Darwinian theory. For example, some argue that epigenetic changes can provide a way for organisms to respond to environmental changes more quickly than they could through natural selection alone. This has problems though as there are no mutations with epigenetics for natural selection to act. NeoDarwinism by definition has mutations.
Others argue that epigenetic changes can help to explain the evolution of complex traits that are difficult to explain with natural selection alone.
Epigenetics is still hotly debated by evolutionists who think it threatens neo-Darwinism. Some of the reasons for this debate include:
Epigenetic inheritance is not random. Epigenetic changes can be passed down from parents to offspring, but they are not caused by random mutations in the DNA sequence. This challenges the neo-Darwinian view that natural selection is the only driving force in evolution.
Epigenetics can be influenced by the environment. Environmental factors such as diet, stress, and exposure to toxins can all affect epigenetic patterns. This suggests that organisms can adapt to their environment more quickly than neo-Darwinian theory can explain.
Epigenetic changes can be reversible. Some epigenetic changes can be reversed over time, even across generations. This means that epigenetic inheritance is not as stable as genetic inheritance, which could have implications for how evolution occurs.
It is important to note that the debate over epigenetics and neo-Darwinism is not a black-and-white issue. There is a wide range of views on this topic, and many evolutionists fall somewhere in the middle. It is also important to note that the debate is not about whether or not evolution is real. The debate is about how evolution occurs, and whether or not neo-Darwinism is the complete explanation..
As of 2015 many scientists are critical of epigenetics. Scientists argues that epigenetics is a young and immature field, and that many of the claims that have been made about it are not supported by evidence.
The conference "New Trends in Evolution conference", which was held in London in 2015. The conference was organized by scientists who are interested in epigenetics, and it featured speakers who presented research on the topic.
However, a group of 23 fellows of the Royal Society, Britain's oldest and most prestigious scientific organization, wrote a letter of protest against the conference. In their letter, the fellows argued that epigenetics is a "pseudoscience" and that the conference would give the public the false impression that epigenetics is mainstream science.
Jerry Coyne, an evolutionary biologist and science blogger, wrote a blog post in which he criticized the New Trends in Evolution conference. In his blog post, Coyne argued that the scientists behind the conference were "playing revolutionaries" to advance their own careers.
There are many other scientists who believe that epigenetics is a legitimate field of research, and that it has the potential to provide new insights into how genes work and how evolution occurs.
It is also important to note that the New Trends in Evolution conference was held in 2015. In the years since then, there has been a significant increase in research on epigenetics. As a result, epigenetics is now more widely accepted by the scientific community.
Epigenetics is a young and rapidly developing field of research, and there is still much that we do not know about it. However, there is growing evidence that epigenetics plays an important role in gene expression and evolution without NeoDarwinian random mutations.
Overall, the debate over epigenetics and neo-Darwinism is still ongoing. However, it is a clear indication that many evolutionists are not open to new ideas and new ways of thinking about evolution.
"Many evolutionists" 'evolutionist' is not a recognised status in Biology - it's a label applied by theists to falsely imply that evolution is a contentious belief system.
ReplyDelete"First, it challenges the view that natural selection is the only driving force in evolution." This is a straw man - Biologists do not hold that view. Not only is Natural Selection NOT the ONLY mechanism, there is no 'driving force'. There's also genetic drift and sexual selection.
"Second, it challenges the view that evolution is a gradual process." Another straw man - We have long know about punctuated evolution - periods of fast change.
"Third, it challenges the view that evolution is irreversible." Yet another straw man. Biologists do not hold that view. Evolution has NO directionality, neither 'forwards' nor 'backwards'. There's plenty of examples of ancestral complexity being lost.
"NeoDarwinism by definition has mutations." This indicates that the writer thinks mutation is the motor for evolution. He doesn't seem to know that mutation happens ANYWAY. Cell replication and reproduction are imperfect processes, unlike photocopying. Mutation, and the recombination that happens in fertilisation causes variation (not evolution) which is why our siblings are not identical. Mutation also causes ageing and cancer.
Yes, we are learning about epigenetics - which applies to the expression of genes, rather than their inheritance, but that does not mean the evolution is wrong! If it WAS wrong, we would have learned something - science progresses by being wrong.
Anyone would think the writer of this article has a hidden motive!
/evolution is a contentious belief system/
DeleteQUASI-RELIGIOUS BELIEF in Darwin and Darwinism: “Straw-Men” Scientist Believers Everywhere.
As if the thousands of studies made in the last decades, including the discovery of the DNA, the genomes of humans and other species, or the crucial evolutionary role played by EPIGENETICS, did not add anything relevant to how we understand biological evolution.
Such reactions are somehow comparable with those of some RELIGIOUS LEADERS that, when certain scientific discoveries contradict narratives of a religious text, argue that these are just “minor” details that do not put those narratives into question
We call attention to the remarkable parallel between religious thinking and the inflexible way in which many defend Darwin’s, Darwinist, or Neo-Darwinist ideas, even when such ideas might have contributed to enduring biases and prejudices within both the scientific community and broader society."
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40610-020-00127-y
Here's a tip: Instead of telling us your opinion of what Biologists think, try ASKING them.
ReplyDeleteYou and the field of evolution went with Huxley. Big mistake.
Delete"It is doubtful, however, whether even the most
statistically minded geneticists are entirely satisfied that nothing more is involved than the sorting out of random mutations by the natural
selective filter." - Conrad Waddington, father of Epigenetics, Letter to Nature journal the year the MS (theory of evolution) was released in '42