Jean-BaptisteLamarck (1744-1829) formulated the first real theory of biological evolution, in which organisms acquired traits directly from adapting to the environments they faced and passed those new traits on to their offspring. If there’s one thing high-school biology students learn, it’s that Darwin was right about natural selection. If there’s a second thing, it’s that Lamarck was wrong.
—Mr. Hawks is a professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.