Epistolution Musing №2: The Role of Genes
<p>Twin studies are deceptively simple. Everything twins have in common is a result of heritable material, and everything they do not share is a result of something else. What causes two identical twins to diverge from one another at all? They share all the influences that evolution has provided for them…DNA, methyl groups, cytoplasm, cell membrane, mitochondria, etc.. The only thing they don’t share is how they put the tools together, the actual process of life. If twins diverged in random ways, then we could confidently say that <em>all</em> their functions are a result of their material inheritance. But if twins diverge in functional ways, then functions are not entirely controlled by inherited material. They are taken instead directly from the environment by some undiscovered process inherent in life forms. This is a staggering thought; it should ring alarm bells. All cells can learn! This week we explore the consequences of this shocking idea.</p>
<p><a href="https://charlie-munford.medium.com/epistolution-musing-2-the-role-of-genes-69c64ad4a973"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>