Epigenetic Lamarck

The term "junk DNA" was first used in the 1970s by the Japanese geneticist Susumu Ohno, who was a proponent of Neo-Darwinism. Neo-Darwinism is a modern synthesis of Darwinian evolution and Mendelian genetics. It states that evolution occurs through natural selection acting on genetic variation. Ohno argued that the vast amount of noncoding DNA in the human genome could not be explained by natural selection. He proposed that this DNA was "junk" or "selfish DNA" that had no function and was simply accumulating in the genome over time. This is because noncoding "Junk DNA" did not code for proteins. NeoDarwinism relys on coded proteins and the DNA that codes for them. It's by mutations to the DNA a new protein arises for Natural Selection to act on. No proteins no Natural Selection ergo no NeoDarwinism. The concept of junk DNA was a Neo-Darwinian concept because it was based on the assumption that natural selection is the only force t...

"The expansion of TEI-related research, has profoundly reshaped boundaries within each field and often led to the erosion of theories and concepts considered as tenets of biology" Neo-Darwinism is a modern synthesis of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection and advances in genetics. It states that evolution occurs by the gradual accumulation of genetic mutations that are beneficial to the organism. These mutations are passed on to offspring, and over time, the population evolves. Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene expression that are not caused by changes in DNA sequence.  The paper "Challenging dogmas: How transgenerational epigenetics reshapes our views on life" by Harrison D. Wang and Patrick Allard explores the emerging field of transgenerational epigenetics and its implications for our understanding of heredity and life. Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene expression that are not caused by changes...

Epigenetics causes rapid adaptation without neo darwinism. Neo Darwinism is the theory of evolution that states that evolution occurs through the gradual accumulation of genetic mutations over time. Epigenetic changes, on the other hand, are changes in gene expression that do not involve changes in the DNA sequence. These changes can be caused by environmental factors, such as diet, stress, and exposure to toxins. This article called "Third-Generation Sequencing Reveals the Adaptive Role of the Epigenome in Three Deep-Sea Polychaetes" by Maeva Perez et al. (2023) explains why. The article investigates the role of DNA methylation in three deep-sea polychaete species: Paraescarpia echinospica, Ridgeia piscesae, and Paralvinella palmiformis. These worms are found in extreme environments, such as hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, where they are exposed to high pressure, low temperatures, and high concentrations of chemicals. The authors used third-generation sequenc...

Article "Evolution of Complexity. Molecular Aspects of Preassembly" by Fredric M. Menger and Syed A. A. Rizvi. "The neo-Darwinian “one-tiny-mutation-at-a-time” mechanism leaves one perplexed as to how early echolocation mutations (genes that could not impart echolocation by themselves) would have been spread across the population by natural selection." The paper begins by discussing the problem of explaining the evolution of complex traits. The traditional neo-Darwinian model of evolution relies on the accumulation of mutations over many generations. However, this model has difficulty explaining the evolution of complex traits, such as echolocation in bats, because it would require a very large number of mutations to occur in the right order. The authors propose a new model of evolution called "preassembly". In this model, the genetic material required for complex traits is assembled over long periods of time, even before the traits themselves...