The work of Lamarck

• Evolution is the change of inherited characteristics within a population over time through natural selection, which may result in the formation of a new species
• Charles Darwin is recognized as the scientist most associated with the theory of evolution
• Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was a French scientist who developed an alternative theory of evolution before Charles Darwin
• Lamarck's theory involved two main ideas:

  • A characteristic used more by an organism becomes bigger and stronger
  • A characteristic not used eventually disappears
  • Any feature of an organism that is improved through use is passed to its offspring
• Modern science has shown that Lamarck's theory of inheritance cannot account for all observations made about life on Earth
• Lamarck's theory suggested that the giraffe's neck length increased over time as the result of the stretching of the neck to reach higher branches to eat
• It is now commonly accepted that Lamarck's ideas were incorrect, as mutations can create variation such as neck length and simple organisms still exist in all varieties of life