Epigenetics: The Ultimate Mystery of Inheritance By Richard C. Francis (W. W. Norton) Researchers once considered DNA to be the exclusive carrier of heredity, but recently they have discovered that certain life
experiences — smoking before puberty, say, or a high -
stress pregnancy — can trigger
cellular changes that get passed along to future generations.
Longfin smelt exhibited a
cellular stress response at a temperature below those at which they can be periodically found in the wild, suggesting that these fish may routinely
experience sublethal temperature
stress in the Delta.