Aalto, Epigenetic information – The evolution that never happened

Epigenetics is a new frontier in molecular biology that studies how organisms adapt to changing environments through the expression of genes. According to the neo-Darwinian theory, such so-called microevolutionary changes would lead to true evolution, or “macroevolution.” Its ”raw material” would consist of time, random mutations, and selection — that is, environmental pressure — which would have created a chain of the fittest and the full spectrum of life. Evolution, according to the theory, has proceeded in small and slow steps: ”Nature does not make leaps” was Darwin's most important lesson. But now, Darwinists have, as if by accident, refuted their own theory: they now believe they can present new evidence of evolution because it happens even ”before our very eyes” — that is, rapidly, without the passage of time! What causes these rapid changes? What is the secret behind the emergence of the fittest? The answer is not found in Darwin's theory or its ”extensions”; it is found in this high-quality book: Organisms' genomes have been loaded with epigenetic — that is, information outside of the genes — and with adaptation mechanisms enabled by it, which are ”triggered” by changes in conditions, such as food sources. Without rapid adaptation, life would hardly exist, but it comes at a cost: epigenetic mechanisms and time expose genomes to mutations. In genetic terms, this means a loss of information. When conditions change repeatedly and new adaptations are needed again and again, a limit is eventually reached where adaptation is no longer possible: the genome, worn down by adaptation, has deteriorated — evolution vanishes, and the lineage dies out. The book is intended for those who, for example, are familiar with the basics of genetics from a high school course.