[ExI] Scientists uncover new mode of evolution

[John Grigg]

"Evolution and natural selection take place at the level of DNA, as genes
mutate and genetic traits either stick around or are lost over time. But
now, scientists think evolution may take place on a whole other scale —
passed down not through genes, but through molecules stuck to their
surfaces."

"These molecules, known as methyl groups, alter the structure of DNA and
can turn genes on and off. The alterations are known as "*epigenetic
modifications* <https://www.livescience.com/37703-epigenetics.html>,"
meaning they appear "above" or "on top of" the genome. Many organisms,
including humans, have DNA dotted with methyl groups, but creatures like
fruit flies and roundworms lost the required genes to do so over
evolutionary time."

https://www.livescience.com/yeast-reveals-new-mode-of-evolution.html
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