One of the defining features of the classical gene was its position (a band in the chromosome). In molecular genetics, positions are defined instead as nucleotide numbers and there is no clear correspondence with its classical counterpart. However, the classical gene position did not simply disappear with the development of the molecular approach, but survived in the lab associated to different genetic practices. The survival of classical gene position would illustrate Waters’ view about the practical persistence of the genetic approach beyond reductionism and anti-reductionist claims. We show instead that at the level of laboratory practices there are also reductive processes, operating through the rise and fall of different techniques. Molecular markers made the concept of classical gene position practically dispensable, leading us to rethink whether it had any causal role or was just a mere heuristic.

中文翻译：

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经典基因位置实际上已经减少了吗？

经典基因的定义特征之一是它的位置（染色体中的一条带）。在分子遗传学中，位置被定义为核苷酸数，与其经典对应物没有明确的对应关系。然而，经典的基因位置并没有随着分子方法的发展而简单地消失，而是在与不同遗传实践相关的实验室中幸存下来。经典基因位置的存在将说明沃特斯关于遗传方法在还原论和反还原论主张之外的实际持久性的观点。相反，我们表明，在实验室实践层面，也存在还原过程，通过不同技术的兴衰来运作。分子标记使经典基因位置的概念实际上可有可无，