2017/02/01

Gene sequences don't determine traits

Non coding RNA from sperm of ex partners lingers in female flies and influences the epigenome of her offspring


Excerpt: "To test the age old theory of telegony, the researchers manipulated male flies to grow to a certain height by changing the amount of nutrients in their diet. They then mated immature females with either large or small males. Later on, the now mature females were again mated with males of various sizes. The subsequent offspring were then studied, and what researchers observed was quite remarkable.

"We found that even though the second male sired the offspring, offspring size was determined by what the mother's previous mating partner ate as a maggot,” Dr. Angela Crean, led researcher on the project, explained in the press release. "Our new findings take this to a whole new level — showing a male can also transmit some of his acquired features to offspring sired by other males.”

The researchers are not yet sure about why this phenomenon occurs but believe it may be due to molecules in the seminal fluid of the first mate being absorbed by the female’s immature eggs and then influencing the growth of offspring of a later mate. This finding only adds to the already complicated field of genetics. Scientists are only just beginning to grasp the concept that offspring genetics are influenced by non-genetic factors, such as their parent’s diet. “Our new findings take this to a whole new level,” Crean said.

...Crean added that due to ethical restraints it would be difficult to conduct a similar experiment on humans."

My comment: Modern scientists have already discovered and revealed the mechanism regulating traits of offspring. It's done mostly by non-coding RNA molecules, so called microRNAs. Here's a couple of interesting studies regarding this phenomenon:

http://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1004296
http://ajpheart.physiology.org/content/303/8/H931
http://www.pnas.org/content/112/44/13699.abstract

Pseudoscientists don't want to reveal that this mechanism is functional also within humans. That's why it has not been studied. We only have some interesting cases where people are not able to explain phenomenons using traditional Mendelian laws:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3461832/First-identical-twins-different-skin-colour-born-UK.html

For evolutionists, non-coding RNA molecules differ too much among species. For example human and chimp microRNAs have no evolutionary relationship. This is why evolutionists don't want to reveal the true mechanisms of inheritance. It would destroy darwinian theory of evolution. Don't get lost.