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What Is “Epi” about Epigenetics?
Author(s) -
GRIESEMER JAMES
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb04914.x
Subject(s) - epigenetics , inheritance (genetic algorithm) , doctrine , biology , perspective (graphical) , genetics , evolutionary biology , gene , computer science , political science , artificial intelligence , law
A bstract : What counts as epigenetic depends on what counts as genetic. It is argued that Weismannism, the doctrine of genetic continuity and somatic discontinuity, is the basis for an overly inclusive concept of epigenetics as every inherited resource “beyond the genes.” An alternative theoretical perspective, the “reproducer” concept, is introduced to facilitate analysis of multiple inheritance systems without labeling all nongenetic inheritance “epigenetic.”