Speaking of neo-Lamarckianism, what's the deal with that? Is it making a general comeback or just in this corner of the world? I know there's been something of a rise of respectable epigenetics in the last few years, i.e. evolutionary mechanisms involving the selective activation of genes rather than selection of genes themselves. But there's also been a bunch of pseudoscience. My mate Scott, visiting from New Zealand last week, informs me that it's been all over the op-ed pages lately over there because a history lecturer wrote a book (published by Penguin) about Maori cannibalism alleging some bullshit about epigenetic 'cultural memory' of trauma passed down biologically to present generations of Maori. http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2009/05/paul-moon-condemns-celtic-new-zealand.html
Cheers, Mike scandalum.wordpress.com