Lamarckism
Lamarckism (pronounced: luh-MARK-izm) is a theory in the field of biology that proposes an organism can change during its lifetime in response to its environment, and those changes are inheritable. The theory is named after the French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744–1829), who incorporated the action of soft inheritance into his evolutionary theories.
Etymology
The term "Lamarckism" comes from the name of French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who proposed that an organism can change during its lifetime in response to its environment. Lamarckism is a term used in the modern era to refer to the idea of inheritance of acquired characteristics, a concept which Lamarck did not originate but incorporated into his evolutionary theories.
Theory
Lamarckism suggests that an organism can change during its lifetime in response to its environment. These changes are then passed onto its offspring. This is in contrast to the theory of natural selection, which suggests that changes occur randomly and those that benefit the organism are more likely to be passed on.
Examples
One of the most famous examples of Lamarckism is the idea that the long neck of a giraffe evolved because ancestral giraffes had to stretch their necks to reach leaves higher up in trees, and that this characteristic was then passed on to their offspring. This example, however, has been largely discredited by modern science.
Criticism and Modern Views
Lamarckism has been largely discredited by modern science, as it contradicts the principles of genetics and DNA inheritance. However, some aspects of Lamarckism have been revisited in the light of modern epigenetics, which studies changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Lamarckism
- Wikipedia's article - Lamarckism
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