Atavistic
Atavistic (pronounced: /ætəˈvɪstɪk/) is a term used in biology, genetics, and psychology to describe the reappearance of ancestral traits in an organism or individual. The term is derived from the Latin word 'atavus', which means 'ancestor'.
Etymology
The term 'atavistic' comes from the Latin 'atavus', meaning a great-great-great grandfather or, more generally, an ancestor. It was first used in English in the mid-19th century.
Definition
In biology and genetics, an atavism is an evolutionary throwback, such as traits reappearing which had disappeared generations before. Atavisms can occur in several ways. One way is when genes for previously existing phenotypical features are preserved in DNA, and these become expressed through a mutation that either knocks out the overriding genes for the new traits or makes the old traits override the new one. A number of traits can vary as a result of shortening of the fetal development of a trait (neoteny) or by prolongation of the same. In such a case, a shift in the time a trait is allowed to develop before it is fixed can bring forth an ancestral phenotype.
In psychology, atavistic is used to describe the tendency to revert to ancestral type. In social sciences, atavism is the tendency of reversion. For example, people in the modern era reverting to the ways of their ancestors.
Related Terms
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Atavistic
- Wikipedia's article - Atavistic
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