Germplasm theory
The germplasm theory was introduced by August Weismann around 1885.
It says that multicellular organisms consist of germ cells , which contain the genetic information, as well as somatic cells , which carry out the body functions. According to Weismann, the uneven distribution (and the associated loss) of (hereditary) information (“hereditary substance”) among the dividing somatic cells during ontogenesis is responsible for their differentiation. According to the germplasm theory, the germ line cells are not influenced by what the body learns or by any skills that the body acquires during its life, and thus they cannot pass these properties acquired by the somatic cells on to the next generation.
The germplasm theory consequently contradicted the then common theory of the inheritance of acquired properties ( Lamarckism and telegony ) and supplemented Charles Darwin's theory of evolution with some developmental considerations.
See also
literature
- Lewis Wolpert and Cheryll Tickle: Principles of Development. Oxford University Press. Oxford University Press, New York 2011, ISBN 978-0-19-954907-8
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ A. Weismann: Prof. Weismann's Theory of Heredity. In: Nature . Volume 41, February 6, 1890, pp. 317-323, doi: 10.1038 / 041317g0 .