Système de la nature
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Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis's Système de la nature (1751) explored theories of heredity. Based on his study of polydactyly (extra fingers) in a Berlin family, he demonstrated that this trait could be inherited from either parent. Maupertuis suggested it resulted from a mutation in "hereditary particles" and calculated the probability of its future occurrence. This work represents an early scientific record of a dominant hereditary trait in humans.1
Maupertuis also formulated the principle of least action, stating that in any change within the universe, the product of a body's movement distance and speed remains at a minimum. This principle was later rigorously defined by William Rowan Hamilton.12
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