Evolution Theory

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The reaction to this theory was immediate. Biologists argued that Darwin could not prove his hypothesis. Other criticised his ideas of variation and how he could not prove how these variations came about or how they were passed on. This part of his theory was not answered until the birth of modern genetics in the early 20th century. In fact many scientists had doubts about this theory for 50-80 years. The most publicised attacks came from religious opponents who believed it was impossible for humans to be on the same level as animals.
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was a Frenchman who lived between 1744 and 1829. He claimed that changes in a species are brought about by environmental pressures-such as changes in the food or weather patterns. The changes that take place in an individual over a lifetime are passed down to its offspring.

This is called inheritance of acquired characteristics. An example of this idea is the way in which tortoises found on different islands gained their ...

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