Beware the pseudo gene genies

After 'nano' and 'quantum', epigenetics, an important branch of biology, is the latest scientific buzzword to be hijacked by quackery

The legion purveyors of flapdoodle love a real but tricksy scientific concept that they can bolt their pernicious quackery on to. "Quantum" is surely the biggest offender, offering up some mystical scienceyness, none more so than in "quantum healing" - an unfathomable extension of reiki, which, let's face it, is already graphene-thin flimflam. The annexing of this word from fundamental physics ranges from washing-powder branding to the theory of mind. "Quantum consciousness" is an idea that has generated some serious discussion over the years, but for me slots squarely into the category of "using one thing we don't understand to explain another".

Lots of real scientific terms - such as "neuro" or "nano" - get borrowed for a spot of buzzword scienceyness. Epigenetics is a real and important part of biology, but due to predictable quackery, it is threatening to become the new quantum.