The neolamarquismo is a term used to refer to the ideas and theories of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck about evolution.
Originally called Lamarquism, and developed since 1809, the prefix "Neo" was added after being taken up by the scientific community at the beginning of the 20th century.
Lamarck expounded his ideas on evolution stating that life as we know it today comes from simpler primitive organisms that were adapting to the conditions that developed around them.
His theory is the first based on biological evolution, 50 years ahead of that of Charles Darwin.
Neo-Lamarquism and evolution
The main idea on which neo-Lamarquism is based is the transmission of acquired characters through inheritance.
This means that individuals can modify their physical characteristics for various external causes and transfer them to their descendants.
This process would be repeated successively creating a biological line with physically advantageous specimens, which would be stronger, faster or would have improved limbs.
One of the most cited examples is that of giraffes with very short necks to reach food in the trees, which would force their necks to stretch.
This characteristic (elongated necks) would be passed on to the next generation, creating giraffes that are biologically more suitable for survival.
Although some of the hypotheses formulated by Lamarck are in agreement with what was put forward decades later by Darwin, part of his theory contains assumptions that current science considers incorrect and unviable.
His idea about the evolution from simple organisms to more complex ones is valid, however the fact that mutations or modifications caused by external factors can be coupled to DNA and transmitted in a hereditary way, is not accepted by the scientific community.
Disadvantages of neo-Lamarquism
Neo-Lamarquism has different implications beyond environmental (such as social).
For this reason, on several occasions during history, there are those who have tried to take up Lamarck's writings to verify their veracity.
Unfortunately, there are numerous critics that dismiss several of the layers presented in this theory.
The most frequently cited is that physical modifications are not manifested at the genetic level, which proves that acquired characters cannot be inherited.
Neolamarchism and Darwinism
Charles Darwin's theory described in his book The Origin of Species was published in 1859, 50 years after Lamarquism.
In the text, Darwin undoubtedly relies on several of the Lamarquist concepts, although he never comes to consider the inheritance of acquired characters.
Darwin argued that during the reproduction process of living beings there are several errors, which makes the descendants different from each other and not exactly the same as their parents.
This generates different species, which after several generations can develop different characteristics that are accentuated by their environment.
These differences can be vital in the survival or not of a living being if the conditions of its environment change.
If, for example, between two species of an animal one had a thicker coat, when an ice age occurred it would have a greater chance of surviving, giving rise to the natural selection of that physical trait.
References
- İrfan Yılmaz (2008). Evolution.
- Snait Gissis, Eva Jablonka (nd). Transformations of Lamarckism. Retrieved on October 26, 2017, from MIT Press.
- Richard Burkhardt (August 2013). Lamarck, Evolution, and the Inheritance of Acquired Characters. Retrieved on October 26, 2017, from the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
- Manuel Ruiz Rejón (October 26, 2015). Epigenetics: Is Lamarckism Back? Retrieved on October 26, 2017, from Open Mind.
- Darwin's Theory Of Evolution (nd). Retrieved on October 26, 2017, from All About Science.