Epigenetics at the organism-environment interface

The lecture will focus on epigenetic mechanisms at the interface between organisms and their environment. We will see how these mechanisms play a fundamental role in the adjustment of organisms to environmental conditions. We will also explore the potential contribution of epigenetics to the adaptation of species to the abrupt and rapid environmental changes that characterize the Anthropocene. This contribution, although often invoked, remains controversial to this day. Nevertheless, we will see that in several model organisms, recent methodological advances in the study of epigenetic mechanisms are already allowing us to glimpse how they may or may not contribute to species survival.