Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance of Cold Adaptation in Rice: Evidence for Neo-Lamarckian Concepts
The discovery of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of acquired cold tolerance in rice offers compelling molecular evidence for a concept long dismissed by mainstream evolutionary biology: the inheritance of acquired characteristics, a cornerstone of Lamarckism. The original study, which selected cold-sensitive rice over three generations under cold stress, yielded stable lines with enhanced cold tolerance that persisted for at least five generations even after the stress was removed. This rapid, environmentally induced, and heritable adaptation points toward a mechanism beyond traditional Mendelian genetics, giving credence to neo-Lamarckian concepts. How Epigenetics Affects Cold Adaptation in Rice The core of this transgenerational adaptation lies in epigenetics, specifically DNA methylation, which are chemical tags on the DNA that regulate gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence. The Epigenetic Mechanism The study identified a gene, ACT1 (Acqu...