Page 242 - The Miracle of Protein

240 THE MIRACLE OF PROTEIN

LAMARCK’S FALLACY

So, how could these “favorable variations” occur? Darwin
tried to answer this question from the standpoint of the primi-
tive understanding of science at that time. According to the
French biologist Chevalier de Lamarck (1744-1829), who lived
before Darwin, living creatures passed on the traits they ac-
quired during their lifetime to the next generation. He asserted
that these traits, which accumulated from one generation to an-
other, 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 Species, for instance, he said that some bears going into water
to find food transformed themselves into whales over time.
(Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species: A Facsimile of the First

Edition, Harvard University Press, 1964, p. 184)

FALSE

Lamarck claimed that giraffes evolved from a species similar to antelopes
and that their necks grew longer while they were trying to eat the leaves
of high trees. However, this claim of Lamarck's is refuted by scientific
findings and took its place in history as a false assumption.