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November 2022, Issue 1

November 2022, Issue 1 Table of Contents

This Issue

November 2022, Issue 1

Epigenetics in Evolution

Researchers debate the influence of extragenomic processes on evolutionary change

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Feature

Do Epigenetic Changes Influence Evolution?

Katarina Zimmer | Nov 1, 2022 | 10+ min read

Evidence is mounting that epigenetic marks on DNA can influence future generations in a variety of ways. But how such phenomena might affect large-scale evolutionary processes is hotly debated.

Speaking of Science

Modified cover of Epigenetics in Evolution.

Ten Minute Sabbatical

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse

Critic at Large

Opinion: The Problem with Researchers Hoarding Resources

For too long, some scientists have acted like Gollums of the ivory tower, guarding precious study sites, model organisms, and even entire fields of inquiry.

Notebook

How a Grasshopper Gave Up Sex, Took Up Cloning

Meet the grasshopper that has reproduced asexually for a quarter of a million years—without acquiring undue numbers of harmful mutations.

Fernanda, a Fernandina giant tortoise (<em>Chelonoidis phantasticus</em>), was identified in 2019, decades after her species supposedly went extinct.

When an Extinct Species Is Found Alive, What Happens Next?

Finding a creature in the wild that had been considered long gone brings hope—and quite a bit of uncertainty.

Infographics

Illustration from the epigenetics and the genome infographic

Infographic: How Epigenetic Marks Can Change the Genome

Although epigenetic changes were long thought to largely act on the genome, rather than as part of it, research is now showing that these patterns can, directly or indirectly, change the genetic code.

Scientist to Watch

Steve Ramirez Reshapes Memories in the Brains of Mice

The Boston University neuroscientist wants to take the edge off traumatic memories by manipulating how they’re processed in the brain.

Foundations

In the 1920s, the Institute for Sexual Research in Berlin was a haven for queer people, many of whom came to the institute seeking to express their identities without fear of being imprisoned. This undated photo depicts a costume party at the institute; its founder, Magnus Hirschfeld (second from right, in glasses), can be seen holding hands with his partner, Karl Giese (center).

Trans Medicine, 1919

German physician and sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld founded a revolutionary clinic where transgender people could receive gender-affirming care, but he left behind a complicated medical and scientific legacy.

November 2022, Issue 1 Table of Contents

AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE