Re: experiments and evolution

Steve Clark (ssclark@facstaff.wisc.edu)
Mon, 24 Jul 1995 09:46:19 -0500

>What was Darwin's view of heredity? My medical texts tell me he had
>"no idea." Maybe they meant he was accepted Lamarckianism in a de
>facto manner.
>
>
>Graeme Cumming,
>University of Newcastle,
>New South Wales,
>Australia.

Darwin was unaware of Mendel's experiments on simple heredity, which only
explain transmission of simple heritable traits and not with gene
equilibrium in a population. The most relevant use of genetics to evolution
problems came much later with Hardy/Weinberg population genetics.

Steve
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Steven S. Clark, Ph.D. Phone: (608) 263-9137
Associate Professor FAX: (608) 263-4226
Dept. of Human Oncology and email: ssclark@facstaff.wisc.edu
UW Comprehensive Cancer Ctr
University of Wisconsin "To disdain philosophy is really to
Madison, WI 53792 be a philosopher." Blaise Pascal
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