Lamarck explains Darwin's "fatal objections"

In his book On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin listed seven "fatal objections" to his theory of evolution by natural selection. These objections were raised by his contemporaries, and Darwin addressed them in his book. The seven objections are:

  1. The absence of intermediate forms between species.

  • for if this had been so, it would have been fatal to my theory -Darwin 

"Major transitions in biological evolution show the same pattern of sudden emergence of diverse forms at a new level of complexity.

No intermediate "grades" or intermediate forms between different types are detectable.

Molecular phylogeneticists will have failed to find the "true tree," not because their methods are inadequate or because they have chosen the wrong genes, but because the history of life cannot properly be represented as a tree."


The Biological Big Bang model for the major transitions in evolution 

Eugene V Koonin


Here are some quotes about the Cambrian's sudden appearance:

  • "The Cambrian explosion was the most rapid diversification of life in Earth's history. In a geologically eyeblink, new animal phyla appeared, many of which still exist today." - Douglas Erwin, paleontologist

  • "The Cambrian explosion is one of the great mysteries of evolution. In a geologically short period of time, the Earth's oceans were filled with a wide variety of new animal forms. We don't fully understand what caused this explosion of diversity, but it's clear that it was a major turning point in the history of life." - Stephen Jay Gould, paleontologist

  • "The Cambrian explosion is a challenge to our understanding of evolution. It seems that new animal forms appeared fully formed, with no obvious evolutionary precursors. This has led some people to question whether evolution can really explain the diversity of life on Earth." - Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist

  • "The Cambrian explosion is a reminder that evolution is a creative process. It's not just about gradual change, but also about the sudden appearance of new and innovative forms. This is something that we need to keep in mind as we try to understand the future of life on Earth." - E.O. Wilson, evolutionary biologist

  • The Cambrian explosion was not just about the sudden appearance of new animal forms. It was also about the diversification of existing forms. For example, the early Cambrian saw the appearance of the first animals with hard shells, which allowed them to survive in a wider range of environments.

  1. The imperfection of the fossil record. 

  • "We have seen in the last chapter that whole groups of species sometimes falsely appear to have been abruptly developed." Darwin

Classic appeal to ignorance. 

The Chengjiang Fossil Site in Yunnan Province, China is a complete field of fossils. It is one of the most important fossil formations showing evidence of the rapid diversification of life on Earth during the Cambrian explosion.

  1. The difficulty of explaining how complex organs could have evolved by natural selection.

"We examine the waiting time for a pair of mutations, the first of which inactivates an existing transcription factor binding site and the second of which creates a new one.

Consistent with recent experimental observations for Drosophila, we find that a few million years is sufficient, but for humans with a much smaller effective population size, this type of change would take >100 million years."

Waiting for Two Mutations: With Applications to Regulatory Sequence Evolution and the Limits of Darwinian Evolution

  1. The inheritance of acquired characteristics.


Epigenetic transgenerational inheritance (TEI) is the transmission of epigenetic marks and modifications from one generation to multiple subsequent generations without altering the primary structure of DNA. Thus, the regulation of genes via epigenetic mechanisms can be heritable; the amount of transcripts and proteins produced can be altered by inherited epigenetic changes.

The concept of TEI has been controversial, as it challenges the traditional view of Neo Darwinism that genes are the only determinants of an organism's phenotype. However, there is growing evidence that TEI is a real phenomenon, and it has the potential to explain a wide range of phenomena, such as the intergenerational transmission of diseases and the effects of trauma on mental health.

Neo Darwinism proposes  that acquired characteristics are not inherited. 

However, TEI is a form of inheritance that does not involve changes in the DNA sequence (per Dawin), and it is possible that TEI could be used to explain the inheritance of acquired characteristics.

  1. The lack of evidence for competition between species.

Life is synergistic, not competitive visa vie Darwin.

The microbiome, exosomes, horizontal gene transfer (HGT), and transposable elements (TEs) are all mechanisms that can move genomes across life.

  • The microbiome is the community of microorganisms that live in and on our bodies. These microorganisms can transfer genes to each other, and to our own cells, through a process called horizontal gene transfer.

  • Exosomes are small vesicles that are released by cells. They can contain DNA, RNA, and proteins, and they can be taken up by other cells. This allows for the transfer of genetic material between cells.

  • HGT is the transfer of genes between organisms of different species. This can happen through a variety of mechanisms, including conjugation, transformation, and transduction.

  • TEs are mobile genetic elements that can insert themselves into the genomes of other organisms. This can lead to the transfer of genes between organisms, as well as the modification of genes.

All of these mechanisms play a role in the evolution of life. They allow for the rapid spread of genetic material, which can lead to the emergence of new traits and the adaptation of organisms to new environments.

The mechanisms that move genomes across life are still not fully understood, but they are known to play a major role in the Lamarckian evolution of life.

  1. The difficulty of explaining how new species arise.

Transposable elements (TEs), horizontal gene transfer (HGT), and epigenetics are all mechanisms that can contribute to speciation.

  • TEs are segments of DNA that can move around the genome. They can insert themselves into new locations, delete themselves, or even change the order of their genes. TEs can have a significant impact on the phenotype of an organism, and they can also contribute to speciation by creating genetic barriers between populations.

  • HGT is the transfer of genes between organisms of different species. This can happen through mechanisms such as bacterial conjugation, viral infection, or the transfer of DNA between cells in a multicellular organism. HGT can introduce new genes into a population, which can lead to speciation if those genes provide a selective advantage.

  • Epigenetics is the study of how environmental factors can cause changes in gene expression without changing the DNA sequence. These changes can be inherited by offspring, and they can contribute to speciation by creating genetic variation between populations..

These mechanisms can provide new insights into how new species form, and they can also help us to understand the Lamarckian evolution of complex traits.

  1. The problem of blending inheritance.

Epigenetic imprinting explains the problem of blending inheritance. Blending inheritance is the theory that the offspring of two parents will have a blend of the parents' traits. For example, if a tall parent and a short parent had a child, the child would be of average height.

However, epigenetic imprinting shows that this is not always the case. Imprinting is a process that silences or activates genes depending on the parent that passed it on. This means that the offspring of two parents may not have a blend of their traits, but instead may only express the traits that were passed on from one parent.

Epigenetic imprinting can override the blending inheritance theory. It can cause the offspring of two parents to express only the traits that were passed on from one parent, even if the other parent has the same traits.

Epigenetic imprinting is a complex process that is still not fully understood. However, it is an important part of our understanding of inheritance and can help to explain some of the problems with the blending inheritance theory.

Many of the objections that Darwin raised in On the Origin of Species are still debated today.  Evidence to support this claim are not being found in NeoDarwinism rather in epigenetics.

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