In Darwin's time, individual development was believed to recapitulate the history of the species. This meant that each evolutionary novelty was added on at the end of individual development in the preceding species. If this were so, development would be like a motion picture revealing the sequence of a species' evolutionary history. In the 1920s, this view shifted to one stressing that early, not late, somatic changes in individual development were responsible for evolution, and many believed these changes were caused by ...
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In Darwin's time, individual development was believed to recapitulate the history of the species. This meant that each evolutionary novelty was added on at the end of individual development in the preceding species. If this were so, development would be like a motion picture revealing the sequence of a species' evolutionary history. In the 1920s, this view shifted to one stressing that early, not late, somatic changes in individual development were responsible for evolution, and many believed these changes were caused by genetic mutations and recombinations. With these views as background, this study presents a behavioural theory of evolutionary change that is not dependent on genetic mutation or genetic recombination in its initial stages. Using evidence of the large, untapped, already existing genetic-developmental potential in all species, the author proposes that developmentally wrought changes in behaviour can lead to the evolution of somatic novelties prior to genetic change. Some of these documented behavioural changes include heightened exploratory tendencies, increased resistance to stress and enhanced problem-solving skills.
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