Epigenesis (biology) explained

In biology, epigenesis (or, in contrast to preformationism, neoformationism) is the process by which plants, animals and fungi develop from a seed, spore or egg through a sequence of steps in which cells differentiate and organs form.^[1]

Aristotle first published the theory of epigenesis in his book On the Generation of Animals. Although epigenesis appears to be an obvious fact in today's genetic age, historically, creationist theories of life's origins hindered its acceptance.^[2] However, during the late 18th century an extended and controversial debate among biologists finally led epigenesis to eclipse the long-established preformationist view.^{[3] [4]} The embryologist Caspar Friedrich Wolff refuted preformationism in 1759 in favor of epigenesis, but this did not put an end to preformationism.^[5]

See also

• Epigenetics
• Epigenesis (disambiguation)

External links

• Aristotle : On the Generation of Animals (extracts)

Notes and References

1. Book: Heard, Edith . Épigénétique et mémoire cellulaire . French . . http://books.openedition.org/cdf/2257?lang=en . December 13, 2012 . . June 10, 2016. 9782722602328 . Épigénétique et mémoire cellulaire: Leçon inaugurale prononcée le jeudi 13 décembre 2012 . Leçons inaugurales.
2. Book: Engelstein, Stefani . . Marianne . Henn . Holger A. . Pausch . Body Dialectics in the Age of Goethe . 2003 . 9789042010765 . Amsterdam . Rodopi . Reproductive Machines in E.T.A Hoffmann . 173 . June 10, 2016.
3. Alice Levine . Baxter . Edmund B. Wilson as a Preformationist: Some Reasons for His Acceptance of the Chromosome Theory . Journal of the History of Biology . 9 . 1 . March 1976 . 29–57 . 10.1007/bf00129172 . 11615633. 44857190 .
4. Conference, Spallanzani's Biological Contributions 200 Years After His Death . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20010412033613/http://www.spallanzani.it/paginanews.asp?id=17 . April 12, 2001 . Columbia University . New York . October 29, 1999. Abstracts of papers presented.
5. Book: Mayr, Ernst . . Ernst Mayr . This Is Biology: The Science of the Living World . Harvard University Press . Cambridge, MA . 1998 . 978-0-674-88469-4 . What Is the Meaning of 'Life'? . 11 . June 10, 2016 .