Its position as a central organizing theme of 20th-century biology is owed to 'the gene' less to definitive scientific findings than to the fact that the corresponding research subject, its 'epistemic object', gradually became accessible through instrumentally mediated experimental handling. With the completion of the sequences of entire genomes, particularly the human genome, genetics—as a science, a product of the 20th century—has once again approached the brink of a fundamental shift in thinking. Many voices are being raised questioning the concept of the gene in favor of systemic perspectives or even wanting to abandon it entirely. On the other hand, previously overcome conceptual frameworks, such as the inheritance of acquired traits or the classification of humans by 'races', are re-emerging in scientific and medical discussions.