Epigenetic RNA:
Oh dear. There might be trouble. I have been cheerfully telling people that insufficient kinship has a chilling effect on fertility – and I’ll stand by that one. I have also said that the most likely mechanism is epigenetic – and I’ll stand by that one. I also have said that the best bet is probably methylation patterns. There is some evidence for that, but now there is a sort of a minority report. (Virginia Hughes Sperm RNA Carries Marks of Trauma NATURE vol. 508 no. 7496 April 17, 2014 page 296) RNA is also capable of transmitting epigenetic information from one generation to the next.
So it all might be RNA. Alas, I am not sure I really understand the proposed methylation pattern. I am quite sure I do not understand how RNA could do it as far as fertility goes. So we must wait for more research on that one.
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