noun
- a discredited biological theory proposing that all cells in an organism produce particles that contribute to heredity
Usage: historical; biology
Examples
- Darwin’s theory of pangenesis attempted to explain how traits are passed from parents to offspring.
- The concept of pangenesis was eventually replaced by modern genetic theory.
- Scientists in the 19th century debated the validity of pangenesis as an explanation for inheritance.
- Pangenesis suggested that every part of the body contributed to reproduction through tiny particles.
- Modern molecular biology has disproven the mechanisms proposed by pangenesis.
- The pangenesis hypothesis was an early attempt to understand hereditary transmission.