Epigenetic Lamarck

Hubert Yockey's 1977 paper , " A Calculation of the Probability of Spontaneous Biogenesis by Information Theory," is a thought-provoking exploration into the likelihood of life arising from non-living matter purely through random chance. Yockey leverages information theory to quantify the improbable nature of spontaneous assembly of even a basic biological entity, such as an enzyme. Central to Yockey's argument is the information content inherent in biomolecules, particularly proteins. Proteins are intricate chains of amino acids responsible for various cellular functions. The specific sequence of amino acids dictates a protein's form and function, analogous to a long string of letters conveying a specific message. Yockey applies information theory, which measures information as the number of possibilities or choices, to estimate the odds of a functional protein arising by chance. He calculates the astronomical improbability of randomly assembling a protein with...

Explanation of the article "Role of environmentally induced epigenetic transgenerational inheritance in evolutionary biology: Unified Evolution Theory" by Skinner et al. (2021): Challenging the Weismann Barrier and Neo-Darwinian Theory The traditional view of inheritance, shaped by August Weismann's germ-plasm theory, proposes a clear separation between germline cells (sperm and egg) and somatic cells (body cells).  This separation, known as the Weismann barrier, prevents the inheritance of acquired traits – characteristics developed by an organism during its lifetime due to environmental influences. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection relies heavily on the idea that heritable traits arise from genetic mutations. These mutations create variations in phenotypes, the observable characteristics of an organism. Natural selection then favors individuals with traits best suited to their environment, leading to gradual adaptation over gene...

Explanation of the topic explored in the article "Epigenetic Inheritance in Adaptive Evolution" by Sabarís et al. (2023),: Epigenetic Inheritance: Beyond the DNA Code Traditionally, Darwinian evolution has been understood through the lens of DNA , the molecule that encodes the blueprint for life. However, recent discoveries challenge this view by introducing the concept of epigenetic inheritance. Epigenetic inheritance refers to the transmission of traits across generations that don't involve alterations in the DNA sequence itself as with Neo-Darwinism. This inheritance mechanism sheds light on how environmental factors can influence organisms and potentially shape their evolutionary trajectory. Epigenetic Machinery: Regulating Gene Expression Epigenetic modifications act as chemical tags that attach to DNA or its packaging proteins, histones. These tags influence how genes are expressed, essentially regulating which genes are turned on or off and to what e...