4 ms·

More proof that genetics is not read-only.

• nitrogen 11y ago
  No, this doesn't permanently alter the DNA sequence.
  • shiven 11y ago
    But, it is like commenting out regions in code. You are factually right, in that there is no editing of the DNA sequence i.e. no mutations. But this phenomenon exerts a similar end effect.
    • AnimalMuppet 11y ago
      Not "end", exactly - at least, not if you look past N generations. The question is, how many generations does it take for this to wear off? Or is it "good until cancelled"?
  • TeMPOraL 11y ago
    Doesn't matter. It's the "reflections on trusting trust" kind of thing - we, our parents, grandparents, etc. form a chain; some runtime modifications to replication mechanism could propagate forward indefinitely, without changing the DNA in the process.
    • iamcurious 11y ago
      Nice insight. To save a few clicks to those remembering this classic (or reading for the first time!): https://www.ece.cmu.edu/~ganger/712.fall02/papers/p761-thompson.pdf https://www.ece.cmu.edu/~ganger/712.fall02/papers/p761-thomp...