Straight talk about epigenetics

https://razib.substack.com/p/you-cant-take-it-with-you-straight

Our genetic code remains that tower of universal IKEA instructions, faithfully copied, plonked down and consulted anew at each cell replication. And we are lucky to have epigenetics' confetti of handwritten Post-Its interleaved among its thousands of pages; they guide and customize our development as incredibly complex organisms. But hopeful rumors that these little marks, these bits of marginalia, these ephemeral scraps of advice, are running the show, as heritable as the tome they annotate, are at best a motivated fantasy. Transgenerational trauma may well meaningfully exist, but pinning its validity on a system of Post-It notes that flutter away at the slightest breeze (or at each meiotic event) is a non-starter. And all to the good. Ultimately, epigenetics is a case where you can't take it with you.