Lamarck's Signature

by Edward J. Steele, Robyn A. Lindley, Robert V. Blanden

This controversial book challenges the accepted theories on the genetic mechanism of evolution. The story these three biologists have to tell may very well upset the whole field of biology. The traditional view of evolution - which grew out of the work of Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin and is strongly supported by present-day scientists like Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould - assumes we are at the mercy of our genes, which we inherit largely unchanged from our parents, except for rare random mutations which accumulate and lead to change over evolutionary time. Those genes are coded in the chromosomes of the sperm and egg cells of the parents, and so only changes to those two types of cell have any chance of being passed down to the parents' offspring. Any changes, accidents, or surgery to the rest of the parents' bodies are not transmitted to the newborn. The theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics - if you build up your muscles your kids will be born with a propensity toward great strength - on the other hand, favored by Jean Lamarck in the nineteenth century, was brought down by nineteenth-century science. But now, as this challenging and thrilling book shows, it looks as though, at least for certain structures in the body's immune system, Lamarck may have been right after all. Based on their own ground-breaking work over the past two decades, as well as that of other molecular biologists, Steele, Lindley, and Blanden argue that for one adaptive body system there is strong molecular genetic evidence that aspects of acquired immunities developed by parents in their own lifetime can be passed on to their offspring.

Genres: Biology, Genetics, Popular Science

312 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Peter]

Exciting new biology: While the hard science which constitues the heart of this book may not be easy going for most readers, the payoff is worth it. Dr. Steele's "unorthodox" ideas have been met with some hostility since the 1970s. The evidence for a Lamarckian mechanism at work in the immune system now seems very convincing, contradicting one of the main dogmas of Darwinian biology. This book presents the experimental evidence to date as to how adaptive immune responses may be incorporated into the DNA of the organism, thus making them heritable material. If the retrogene mechanism is at work in the immune system what other roles might it be playing in evolution? A huge question for our current understanding of evolution.

[Jay Reynolds · Rating 2 out of 5]

The authors spend a lot of time describing how certain immunological experiences of the mother can be passed to her offspring. Fascinating topic, but pretty dry presentation. This book would have benefited from a better science writer and a good editor in certain respects. Needs zazz.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable and informative book, although I think they sometimes speculate well beyond their data.