A recent Swedish study apparently adds some credence to the mostly poo-pooed theories of French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, whose theory of transmutation reckoned nurture played an evolutionary role. The classic example is that of giraffes gaining their long necks as a result of stretching to reach tall leaves passing on this long-neck-edness to their offspring.
(Thanks to Pete for the link)
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Lamark published his Philosophie Zoologique in 1809, 50 years before Gregor Mendel performed his famous pea experiments and Charles Darwin published his world-changing "Origin of the Species".
In Mendelian inheritance, the whole situation is somewhat reversed from Lamark's ideas. Rather than passing on long necks because a giraffe spent its life stretching, the long-neck would have been due to a random mutation that enabled some lucky giraffe to survive whilst the short-necked giraffes died before they were able to breed.
Posted by Lisa at November 07, 2002 10:28 AM