Abstract

The evolution of organisms has been a subject of paramount debate for hundreds of years and though major advances in the field have been made, the precise mechanisms underlying evolutionary processes remain fragmentary. Strikingly, the majority of the core principles accepted across the many fields of biology only consider genetic information as the major - if not exclusive - biological information carrier and thus consider it as the main evolutionary avatar. However, the real picture appears far more complex than originally anticipated, as compelling data suggest that nongenetic information steps up when highly dynamic evolutionary frameworks are explored. In light of recent evidence, we discuss herein the dynamic nature and complexity of nongenetic information carriers, and their emerging relevance in the evolutionary process. We argue that it is possible to overcome the historical arguments which dismissed these carriers, and instead consider that they are indeed core to life itself as they support a sustainable, continuous source of rapid adaptation in ever-changing environments. Ultimately, we will address the intricacies of genetic and non-genetic networks underlying evolutionary models to build a framework where both core biological information concepts are considered non-negligible and equally fundamental.

摘要

数百年来，生物体的进化一直是一个备受争议的话题，尽管该领域取得了重大进展，但进化过程背后的确切机制仍然不完整。引人注目的是，许多生物学领域接受的大多数核心原则仅将遗传信息视为主要的（如果不是唯一的）生物信息载体，因此将其视为主要的进化化身。然而，真实情况似乎比最初预期的要复杂得多，因为令人信服的数据表明，当探索高度动态的进化框架时，非遗传信息会增加。根据最近的证据，我们在此讨论了非遗传信息载体的动态性质和复杂性，以及它们在进化过程中的新出现的相关性。我们认为，有可能克服历史上驳回这些载体的论点，转而认为它们确实是生命本身的核心，因为它们支持在不断变化的环境中快速适应的可持续、持续来源。最终，我们将解决进化模型背后遗传和非遗传网络的复杂性，以构建一个框架，其中两个核心生物信息概念都被认为是不可忽略的且同样重要。