by Richard William Nelson | Jan 3, 2023
The modern genetic shift early in the twentieth century rescued Darwin’s theory of natural selection, to a point. By the end of the nineteenth century, Charles Darwin’s influence had continued to deteriorate, stemming from his obsolete theory of inheritance.
In the search for a scientifically valid theory, scientists early in the twentieth century rediscovered Gregor Mendel’s theory of inheritance. His work had been published thirty years earlier.
Mendel’s theory delivered what Darwin missed – a scientifically valid theory of inheritance capable of driving evolution.
Continue Reading
by Richard William Nelson | Nov 8, 2022
Inheritance is the second of the five principles of natural selection introduced by Charles Darwin in The Origin of Species. While Darwin knew that inheritance plays a crucial role in natural selection, he was conflicted over how it works, noting –
“The laws governing inheritance are, for the most part, unknown.”
Niles Eldredge, of the American Museum of Natural History, introduced the V.I.S.T.A. framework to codify the principles of Darwin’s theory. The five structural principles of natural selection are variation, inheritance, selection, time, and adaptation.
In 1837, nearly twenty years before publishing The Origin of Species, Darwin drew his first sketch linking inheritance to speciation (pictured left).
Continue Reading
The modern genetic shift early in the twentieth century rescued Darwin’s theory of natural selection, to a point. By the end of the nineteenth century, Charles Darwin’s influence had continued to deteriorate, stemming from his obsolete theory of inheritance.
