Evolution by means of natural adaptation: the role of epigenetics in phenotypic differentiation

This work was written independently and mainly discusses discoveries in the area of the evolution of living beings. It brings up discussions within the area of Science and how certain concepts constructed over time can become a paradigm or even a dogma. It discusses even how evolution can occur besides the Second Law of Thermodynamics that predicts a tendency in nature of organized systems come to disorder. Moreover, it directly shows that the British scientist Charles Darwin, at 1859, himself showed in his book that the mechanism of natural selection would not be the only one acting in the evolution of species. As he himself writes: “How, then, can we explain these several facts in embryology… On the theory of natural selection, we can, to a certain extent, answer these questions… for such questions are almost beyond investigation”. The questions cited by Darwin were only answered in the decade of 1970, when new discoveries in epigenetics showed that some traits can be acquired and transmitted to the next generation.