curiosfellow

Actually, I meant to imply that both processes are going on simultaneously. Evolution is not an either/or process, but the accumulated effect that allows organisms to change and adapt. From : http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01491.x/full 'The purpose of the present review is to draw attention to these epigenetic possibilities, commenting on areas of active research that are altering our views of the evolutionary process.' If. at Oxford. they are positing that epigenetics does influence evolution at all, then that is the point that I was originally trying to make. It is still widely assumed that only mutations and natural selection are at work in evolution, but if the environment can in fact influence epigenetics, then evolution is suddenly much less random and more affected by our environment.

If epigenetics deals with heritable traits from parent to child that are not a part of the standard DNA sequence, then can it not be said that evolution is actually not the accumulation of random chances that many are lead to believe? It certainly cannot be said that inherited changes are entirely due to the DNA of the parents. Random mutation will always occur, but they are most likely not the drivers of evolution if epigenetics are at work. If the environment in any way can cause an inherited trait to be passed on to a child, then the theory that evolution is driven by solely random mutation cannot be true any more. It would make very much sense when one considers how fast a species can adapt to a new environment. It can also produce a possible sea change in how we view the evolution of life.