拓展达尔文进化论框架 中国科学家发现关键证据

Core Viewpoint - Recent research by a team led by Academician Cao Xiaofeng from the Chinese Academy of Sciences provides significant evidence supporting Lamarck's theory of evolution, challenging the long-standing dominance of Darwin's natural selection theory [1][5]. Group 1: Evolutionary Theories - Darwin's theory posits that evolution is a lengthy and harsh "lottery," where random genetic mutations create differences that are then selected by the environment, encapsulated in the phrase "survival of the fittest" [4]. - In contrast, Lamarck's theory suggests that organisms can actively change in response to environmental pressures, and these acquired traits can be passed on to future generations [4][5]. Group 2: Key Findings - The research team discovered that rice plants from warmer southern regions developed increased cold resistance after being exposed to the colder northeastern environment, and this trait was inherited by their offspring [5]. - Initially, scientists suspected that genetic mutations were responsible for this cold resistance, but they found that the genes of the cold-resistant rice did not change. Instead, the resistance was linked to a specific chemical modification (DNA methylation) that had previously "locked" the cold-resistant genes [5]. - The environmental pressure experienced by the rice plants led to the "unlocking" of these genes, allowing them to express cold resistance and pass this trait on to their descendants [5][9]. Group 3: Implications for Evolution - The findings serve as a bridge between Darwin's and Lamarck's theories, indicating that evolution is influenced not only by random genetic mutations but also by environmental pressures that can trigger and select for epigenetic variations, thereby enhancing the survival of species [9]. - This complexity in the evolutionary process suggests that life is more intricate and refined than previously understood [9].