<P> Commenting on this, Charlotte Ling explained: </P> <P> The cells of the body contain DNA, which contains genes . We inherit our genes and they cannot be changed . The genes, however, have' methyl groups' attached which affect what is known as' gene expression'--whether the genes are activated or deactivated . The methyl groups can be influenced in various ways, through exercise, diet and lifestyle, in a process known as' DNA methylation' . </P> <P> A 2013 study published in Nature Neuroscience reported that mice trained to fear the smell of a chemical called acetophenone passed their fear onto at least two generations . The science magazine New Scientist commented on the study saying, "While it needs to be corroborated, this finding seems consistent with Lamarckian inheritance . It is, however, based on epigenetics: changes that tweak the action of genes, not the genes themselves . So it fits with natural selection--and may yet give Lamarck's name a sheen of respectability ." </P> <P> Guy Barry wrote that Darwin's hypothesis pangenesis coupled with "Lamarckian somatic cell - derived epigenetic modifications" and de novo RNA and DNA mutations can explain the evolution of the human brain . </P>

French scientist who dispproved spontaneous generation of cells in relation to the cell theory