Abstract
In his target article, Koonin discusses the insights into the evolution of bacterial genomes provided by the CRISPR-Cas system. This evolved defense system is based on intrinsic processes of genome engineering which, as he argues, enable Lamarckian inheritance. In this commentary I discuss some historical and conceptual issues that pertain to Koonin’s analysis of this aspect of the CRISPR-Cas system, extending and qualifying his discussion.
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Notes
Dawkins confessed: “My world-view will be overturned if somebody demonstrates the genetic inheritance, not just of an acquired characteristic, but of an instructively acquired adaptation” (ibid, p. 173).
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Jablonka, E. Lamarckian realities: the CRISPR-Cas system and beyond. Biol Philos 34, 14 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-018-9660-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-018-9660-0