Page 276 - The Microworld Miracle

Lamarck believed that giraffes evolved from
such animals as antelopes. In his view, the
necks of these grass-eating animals gradu-
ally grew longer, and they eventually
turned into giraffes. The laws of inherit-
ance discovered by Mendel in 1865
proved that it was impossi-
ble for properties ac-
quired during life
to be handed on
to subsequent
generations.
Lamarck's gi-
raffe fairy tale
was thus con-
signed to the
wastebin of his-
tory.)

the next generation. He asserted that these traits, which accumulated
from one generation to another, caused new species to be formed. For
instance, he claimed that giraffes evolved from antelopes; as they

struggled to eat the leaves of high trees, their necks were extended
from generation to generation.
Darwin also gave similar examples. In his book The Origin of
THE MICROWORLD MIRACLE (1822-84) and verified by the science of genetics, which flourished in
Species, for instance, he said that some bears going into water to find
138
food transformed themselves into whales over time.
However, the laws of inheritance discovered by Gregor Mendel

the twentieth century, utterly demolished the legend that acquired
traits were passed on to subsequent generations. Thus, natural selec-

274 tion fell out of favor as an evolutionary mechanism.