Here's an article in Newsweek, reporting on some of the recent research on the inheritance of acquired characteristics, and how it happens - not by "changing" the DNA but by "marking" it. (Marking by methylation, I guess.)
The piece opens: "Alas, poor Darwin." But that's not really fair to Darwin, since he accepted some inheritance of acquired characteristics. It was his followers, who purified his theory, who are likely to be disturbed if these results are borne out.
Please note, what is now being proposed is quite different than what anyone ever imagined in the 19th century. We're so far into the biochemistry that some people even think the word "gene" is starting to look antiquated.
I hope that "Gene"
doesn't vanish from the scene.
"The Selfish Molecule String"
just doesn't have that zing.
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