Lamarck was an 18th- and 19th-century French biologist who is largely remembered for the theory of inherited acquired traits. The theory holds that a physical characteristic acquired by a parent can then be passed down to its offspring. The theory is often contrasted with Darwin’s theory of natural selection. However, the theory of inherited acquired traits predates Lamarck and was not the primary focus of Lamarck’s theory of evolution. Additionally, Darwin did believe in some aspects of the inherited acquired traits theory. In Survival of the Sickest, Moalem illustrates how the theory of inherited acquired traits may not have been entirely incorrect, as he examines how jumping genes can change an organism’s traits over the course of their life and how those traits can then be passed on to its offspring.
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Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Character Timeline in Survival of the Sickest
The timeline below shows where the character Jean-Baptiste Lamarck appears in Survival of the Sickest. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6: Jump Into the Gene Pool
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, according to popular accounts, was the chief proponent of a theory called inherited acquired traits....
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Chapter 7: Methyl Madness: Road to the Final Phenotype
...or grandparent acquires can be inherited by future generations, which follows the theory attributed to Lamarck. Some researchers in epigenetics even call themselves “neo-Lamarckians.”
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