'Landmark' Evolution Study Shows How Rice Inherits Tolerance To Cold Without DNA Changes (nature.com) 14
Rice plants can inherit tolerance to cold without changes to their genomes, according to a decade-long study carried out by researchers in China. From a report: The work, published in Cell this week, strengthens the evidence for a form of evolution in which environmental pressures induce heritable changes that do not alter an organism's DNA. The study conducted experiments that demonstrate, for the first time, the mechanism for these changes -- 'epigenetic' tweaks to chemical markers on the plant's DNA that don't actually tinker with the sequences themselves.
"What they're showing is extremely convincing; I would say that it's a landmark in the field," says Leandro Quadrana, a plant geneticist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Paris-Saclay. Michael Skinner, who studies epigenetic inheritance at Washington State University in Pullman, says the study adds to the growing body of evidence challenging the prevailing view of evolution that the only way that adaptations emerge is through gradual natural selection of randomly arising DNA mutations. This study shows that the environment isn't just a passive actor in evolution, but a selective force inducing a targeted change.
"What they're showing is extremely convincing; I would say that it's a landmark in the field," says Leandro Quadrana, a plant geneticist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Paris-Saclay. Michael Skinner, who studies epigenetic inheritance at Washington State University in Pullman, says the study adds to the growing body of evidence challenging the prevailing view of evolution that the only way that adaptations emerge is through gradual natural selection of randomly arising DNA mutations. This study shows that the environment isn't just a passive actor in evolution, but a selective force inducing a targeted change.
I'm sceptical. (Score:2)
Sounds like one of those AI-generated studies that is going to be disproved tomorrow.
Re:I'm sceptical. (Score:4, Informative)
The concept is not new, it is routinely taught to biochemistry students and has been observed in humans. Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: I'm sceptical. (Score:1)
Do you too suffer from AI Derangement Syndrome?
Re: (Score:2)
Most AIs do.
Re: (Score:2)
Sounds like one of those AI-generated studies that is going to be disproved tomorrow.
Not likely that it will be disproved. Mainly because this is not a "landmark" study. This is a specific example of a general phenomenon which is already widely recognized.
That's easy (Score:2)
It just puts on another coat.
Welcome to the 21st Century. (Score:5, Informative)
The molecular basis for epigenetics was discovered in the 1980s and for the past thirty years or so non-genome-based inheritance has been a pretty hot scientific topic.
This only seems surprising because for most of us our biology education ends with 1953, when the structure of DNA was discovered. We didn't learn about epigenetics (1980s) or retroviruses (1970s) or horizontal gene transfer (discovered in the 20s but importance was only realized in the 90s).. The biological world is full of weird, mind-blowing stuff most people never heard of.
Re: (Score:2)
I remember reading an article about something similar in humans, with regards to food and obesity. The premise is that if your grandfather suffered starvation for a significant period of time, you would be more likely to be overweight as your body would overcompensate for potential lack of food.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/a... [nih.gov]
Re: (Score:2)
This isn't quite Lamarckism as the rice must still have the gene for cold tolerance. What is being inherited is not only the gene but also the chemical activation for this gene.
Re: Lysenkoism (Score:1)
So when the earth warms up to Jurassic temperatures will birds grow back into dinosaurs?
Re: (Score:2)
Well, they already are dinosaurs, so... yes... no? The answer is not really meaningful because the question is not meaningful. Will they change back into pre-existing dinosaur species from the Jurassic (not sure why you specified Jurassic rather than the more recent cretaceous, maybe just generalize to the whole Mesozoic era?)? No, most of the DNA to do so is gone from their genome. Well, maybe with some amazing convergent evolution. Would they get bigger? Probably. If the basic question is if the genes to
Landmark (Score:2)
"What they're showing is extremely convincing; I would say that it's a landmark in the field," says Leandro Quadrana
I'd even go so far as to say that it's a Lamarck in the field.