Philosophie zoologique

Philosophie zoologique, published in 1809 by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, outlines his theory of evolution. Lamarck proposed that acquired characteristics, developed during an organism's lifetime due to environmental influences or the use/disuse of organs, could be passed on to offspring.12

For example, he suggested that giraffes developed long necks by stretching to reach higher leaves, and this trait was then inherited. While this idea, known as Lamarckism, influenced evolutionary thought in the 19th century, it has been largely discredited by modern genetics, which indicates that acquired traits are not typically heritable. However, the study of epigenetics has shown some mechanisms by which environmental factors can influence gene expression across generations.3124