Epigenetics, evolution and the human sciences

Description

Stem cells are perhaps the prime example of epigenetic effects, since stem cells differentiate into different types of cells even though cellular DNA does not alter. Recent research in epigenetics has led to a revived interest in the interaction between genes and environment, and the consequences of such interaction for how we understand the development and evolution of humans and other organisms. But the implications of this research for the biological and human sciences are still being worked out. This workshop brought together a number of leading biological, human and social scientists to review the current state of the science of epigenetics, and to discuss how this might affect how we think about evolution and the human sciences. Session 1 focussed on ‘epigenetics and evolutionary theory’, while session 2 explored ‘epigenetics and the human and behavioural sciences’.

Period	18 Dec 2008
Event type	Conference
Location	Edinburgh, United KingdomShow on map