Neodarwinists rejected Waddington's epigenetics for 70 years

"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

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Scientists rejected Waddington's epigenetics for 70 years. There are a few reasons for this:

• Waddington's ideas were ahead of their time. In the 1960-70's, scientists were focused on the central dogma of molecular biology, which stated that DNA was the only blueprint for life and that genes could only be expressed in one way. 

Waddington's ideas about epigenetics, which suggested that genes could be regulated by external factors, went against this prevailing dogma.

• There was little experimental evidence to support Waddington's claims. The technology to study epigenetics did not exist until the late 20th century. As a result, Waddington's ideas were difficult to test and were often dismissed as speculation.

• Waddington's work was not well-publicized. Waddington was a prolific writer, but his work on epigenetics was scattered throughout his many publications. This made it difficult for other scientists to learn about and understand his ideas.

Despite these challenges, Waddington persisted in his belief in epigenetics. He argued that epigenetics was essential for understanding how genes regulated development and how organisms adapted to their environment.

In the late 20th century, scientists began to develop new technologies that allowed them to study epigenetics directly. This led to a surge of research in the field, and Waddington's ideas were finally vindicated. Today, epigenetics is a rapidly growing field of research, and it is clear that Waddington was a visionary scientist. 

Here are some specific examples of how Waddington's work on epigenetics was rejected by his peers:

• In 1942, Waddington published a paper in which he proposed that genes could be regulated by external factors, such as the environment. However, this paper was largely ignored by other scientists.

• In 1957, Waddington published a book called "The Strategy of the Genes." In this book, he argued that epigenetics was essential for understanding how genes regulated development. However, the book was met with mixed reviews, and many scientists criticized Waddington's ideas as being too speculative.

• In the 1960s and 1970s, Waddington continued to write about epigenetics, but his work was largely ignored by the mainstream scientific community.

It was not until the late 20th century that Waddington's ideas about epigenetics began to gain acceptance. It was due in part to the work of other scientists, such as the Nobel Laureate Barbara McClintock, who made important contributions to the field of epigenetics.

Neo-Darwinian bias led to scientists to ignore epigenetics for 70 years. Neo-Darwinism is a theory of evolution that is based on the principles of natural selection and random mutation. Epigenetics is the study of how gene expression is regulated without mutations changing the underlying DNA sequence. This can be done through a variety of mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA. Epigenetic changes can be inherited by offspring, and they can also be influenced by the environment.

Neo-Darwinism does not easily account for epigenetic inheritance and environmental influences on gene expression. This is because neo-Darwinism is primarily focused on genetic changes, which are thought to be the main driver of evolution.

As a result of this bias, neo-Darwinian scientists did not  take epigenetics seriously. They may have dismissed epigenetics as being too complex or unimportant. They may also have been reluctant to challenge the prevailing dogma that DNA is the only blueprint for life.

Due to a quasi-religious commitment to neo darwinism as of a 2015 Royal Society meeting the majority of biologists still rejected epigenetics despite the overwhelming evidence, go figure.

Today, epigenetics is a rapidly growing field of research. It is clear that epigenetics plays an important role in development, disease, and evolution. However, it is also clear that neo-Darwinian bias may have delayed the progress of epigenetics research for many years.

Today, epigenetics is a rapidly growing field of research, and it is clear that Waddington was a visionary scientist. His work helped to lay the foundation for our modern understanding of how genes are regulated.