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Epigenetics and Lamarckian evolution are not mutually exclusive with natural selection, even historically. Lamarckian evolution is natural selection, simply thr
by opportune 8y ago
Epigenetics and Lamarckian evolution are not mutually exclusive with natural selection, even historically. Lamarckian evolution is natural selection, simply through a non-genotypic mechanism, which epigenetics could be a part of.
Also, the heritability and stickiness of epigenetics is still not well known. It cannot be the main driver of evolution over long intervals (i.e. hundreds of thousands of years) because it is limited in the changes it can make: methylation, for example, can only affect the expression of genes, but it cannot alter them, nor can it introduce new genes.
- xyhopguy 8y agoI personally believe it's all integrated together. Sure methylation alone isnt going to effect the genotype of an individual, but thats not day it won't trigger some translocation event, expose LTRs, or some other mechanism of changing the genome. In everything I've seen thus far, I'd guess that it's all a complicated and interwined mess. How do you distinguish evolution and selective pressures of an individual from populations anyway?
- mirimir 8y agoRight. Whenever someone claims that it's gotta be one way or another, it's best to be suspicious.