Posted by Viridis on December 8, 2003, at 5:03:11
In reply to Re: Opioids for depression, posted by maxx44 on December 7, 2003, at 19:12:25
Lamarck explained things as best he could, given knowledge in the 1700s. However, there is no evidence whatsoever (except for a few very special, highly controversial cases in bacteria) that individuals can inherit traits based on what their parents did -- Darwin's model has held up impeccably since he published it in 1859. If your mother broke her arm during pregnancy, it doesn't mean that you'd be born with a broken arm.
In other words, DNA determines many of an individual's charactersitics, and DNA is not changed in directed ways by an individual's behavior during their lifetime. Besides, the only DNA that is passed on is that in sperm and eggs, so even if you changed the DNA in your brain cells etc. it wouldn't matter -- that DNA never makes it to your offspring.
Trust me on this -- I'm a geneticist and evolutionary biologist, and no credible scientist accepts Lamarck's ideas about inheritance of acquired characteristics. Innumerable studies over the last 150 or so years have falsified Lamarck's hypotheses, although they seemed perfectly reasonable in the 1700s.
poster:Viridis
thread:952
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031208/msgs/287602.html