The theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics postulated by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck early in the 19th century is undergoing a surprising revival, albeit in modified form. Although the notion was long ago abandoned that use or disuse of body parts brings about evolutionary change, certain researchers continued to propose from Lamarck's time that forces internal and external to the body in addition to genes contribute to the phenotype of ensuing generations. The field of evolutionary biology has been influenced throughout the 20th century by aspects of Lamarck's theory, evident today in the field of molecular epigenetics.
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