Rethinking evidence for epigenetic inheritance in human research.

Evidence for epigenetic inheritance in humans remains unproven due to biological, methodological, and environmental complexities, despite its presence in other species.

• Why it matters: Understanding whether epigenetic traits can be inherited in humans is crucial for advancing knowledge of heredity and environmental impacts, but current evidence is inconclusive because of confounding social, genetic, and environmental factors.
• What they did: The authors reviewed existing research and clarified key concepts, proposing a framework with testable criteria to distinguish true epigenetic inheritance from other influences in human studies.
• The result: This work aims to shift the field toward rigorous, criteria-based research, enabling more definitive assessments of epigenetic inheritance in humans and improving the reliability of future findings.