Gemmule (Noun)
Meaning
The physically discrete element that Darwin proposed as responsible for heredity.
Classification
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents.
Examples
- The concept of the gemmule was a precursor to the modern understanding of genes and their role in heredity.
- Darwin's theory of pangenesis proposed that gemmules were shed from the body and transmitted to offspring through reproduction.
- Although the idea of gemmules was later discredited, it represented an early attempt to explain the physical basis of heredity.
- The gemmule hypothesis was an important milestone in the development of modern genetics, even if it was ultimately proven incorrect.
- In the context of 19th-century biology, the gemmule was a plausible explanation for the observed patterns of inheritance in living organisms.