neo-Darwinism

American  

[nee-oh-dahr-wi-niz-uhm] / ˌni oʊˈdɑr wɪˌnɪz əm /

noun

Biology.

1. the theory of evolution as expounded by later students of Charles Darwin, especially Weismann, holding that natural selection accounts for evolution and denying the inheritance of acquired characters.

2. any modern theory of evolution holding that species evolve by natural selection acting on genetic variation.

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Neo-Darwinism British  

/ ˌniːəʊˈdɑːwɪnˌɪzəm /

noun

1. the modern version of the Darwinian theory of evolution, which incorporates the principles of genetics to explain how inheritable variations can arise by mutation

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Neo-Darwinism Scientific  

/ nē′ō-där′wə-nĭz′əm /

1. Darwinism as modified by the findings of modern genetics, stating that mutations due to random copying errors in DNA cause variation within a population of individual organisms and that natural selection acts upon these variations.

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Other Word Forms

• Neo-Darwinian adjective
• neo-Darwinian adjective
• neo-Darwinist noun

Etymology

Origin of neo-Darwinism

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

The overwhelming majority of biologists and geneticists are neo-Darwinists, and one primary tenet of neo-Darwinism is the idea that the genetic mutations which cause living creatures to evolve occur randomly.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2022

"The research tells us many things, including the fact that the origination rate of the HbS mutation cannot be explained from the perspective of neo-Darwinism," Livnat told Salon.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2022

A primary assumption of the evolutionary model behind neo-Darwinism is that development can be traced back through a series of subtly incremental changes.

From The Guardian • Jun. 4, 2010

The archbishop of Vienna stated flatly that the church does not accept "neo-Darwinism."

From Time Magazine Archive