"This a priori constraint on heritability and evolution has no empirical or theoretical foundation; however, because theory affects research, clinical practice, and public health policy, the exclusion of nongenetic pathways for the intergenerational transmission of obesity and high-risk phenotypes has been unproductive. [2]"
In essence, he claims that the scientific community has for too long ignored the evidence presented by himself and others that non-genetic evolution is not only a possibility, but is a fundamentally sound theory. He later claims that Darwinian theories therefore ought to no longer be considered as utmost truth with in the scientific community.
This relates to the current unit at hand regarding Darwinian evolution on many regards. For one, it signifies the potential flaws, or at least incompletion, of Darwin's famous theories. While I myself am not entirely swayed towards adopting Archer's ideology, he does effectively raise the question about if we are fully learning the processes of evolution in academia. It also relates firmly to the application of the theory of evolution within modern day life. Due to the immensely slow nature of evolution, it is generally not a phenomenon that most people are aware of in their own lives. The proposition of non-genetic inheritance however can fluidly relates to the modern day issue of obesity within the United States and raises the question 'are we devolving ourselves?'
Sources
[1] http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(14)00740-X/abstract
by Edward Archer
published January, 2014
[2] http://www.evolutionnews.org/2015/01/mayo_clinic_pap092421.html
by Casey Luskin
published 4 January 2014
This relates to the current unit at hand regarding Darwinian evolution on many regards. For one, it signifies the potential flaws, or at least incompletion, of Darwin's famous theories. While I myself am not entirely swayed towards adopting Archer's ideology, he does effectively raise the question about if we are fully learning the processes of evolution in academia. It also relates firmly to the application of the theory of evolution within modern day life. Due to the immensely slow nature of evolution, it is generally not a phenomenon that most people are aware of in their own lives. The proposition of non-genetic inheritance however can fluidly relates to the modern day issue of obesity within the United States and raises the question 'are we devolving ourselves?'
Sources
[1] http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(14)00740-X/abstract
by Edward Archer
published January, 2014
[2] http://www.evolutionnews.org/2015/01/mayo_clinic_pap092421.html
by Casey Luskin
published 4 January 2014
Has this "devolution" been going on for enough generations that we are able to see an accurate trend or is it possible this is just an individual spike in obesity that will amount to nothing in the end?
ReplyDeleteFirstly I would like to clarify that increased obesity would not technically qualify as a devolution primarily due to the fact that it is not directly harming the entire human species.
ReplyDeleteAs for your question, you present the fundamental argument of those skeptical to Archer’s hypothesis of non-genetic evolution. They claim that evolution, as Darwin wrote, can only be through inheritance and a species’ actions (such as increased tendency to eat unhealthy food) can have no effect upon the next generations. Personally I tend to side more with the skeptics point of view due to us not having enough evidence to fully support the non-genetic theory. As of such, all that Archer’s results prove is that humans have an increased tendency to eat unhealthy food, and this is easily rebutted as one could claim that this is solely due to increased access to food. I believe, however, that if we see an increased percentage of obesity despite there being no particular increase in available unhealthy food in the coming generations, this would show that humans have evolved to have an increased tendency to become obese, and thus non-genetic evolution is a legitimate possibility.
I only received one question... :(
ReplyDelete