How Do You Spell PANGENESIS?

Pronunciation: [pˌand͡ʒənˈiːsɪs] (IPA)

The term "pangenesis" is often spelled with particular emphasis on the "gen" syllable, but this is not completely accurate. The correct phonetic transcription of the word is /pænˈdʒɛnəsɪs/. The emphasis is actually on the second syllable, "pan-JEN-sis", and the "g" sound is soft, like a "j". Pangenesis refers to an early theory in genetics that suggested offspring inherited traits from different parts of their parents' bodies. While this theory has been disproven, the word continues to be used in medical and scientific fields.

PANGENESIS Meaning and Definition

1. Pangenesis refers to a theory proposed in the 19th century by English naturalist Charles Darwin to explain the inheritance and transmission of acquired characteristics from parent organisms to their offspring. The term is derived from the Greek words "pan" meaning "all" and "genesis" meaning "origin" or "creation," suggesting the theory's encompassing nature.

   According to Darwin's hypothesis of pangenesis, the cells of an organism's various tissues produce tiny particles called "gemmules" that circulate through the body and gather in the reproductive organs. These gemmules are believed to contain hereditary information from all parts of the organism, including acquired characteristics such as modifications or changes occurring during its lifetime. Thus, they are considered responsible for passing on traits and variations to the next generation.

   Pangenesis posits that during sexual reproduction, the gemmules from both parents combine to form the offspring. Darwin proposed that these gemmules possessed the ability to affect the development of specific traits in the offspring, thereby allowing for the inheritance of acquired characteristics.

   While the theory of pangenesis was highly influential in its time, it has been largely discredited in modern biology due to the advancements in genetics and the discovery of DNA as the primary carrier of genetic information. The field of genetics has provided alternative explanations for heredity, such as Mendelian inheritance, which rely on the principles of gene transmission and the passing down of specific DNA sequences.

2. The theory of Darwin that every separate part of the organism reproduces itself in the progeny, each ovule and spermatozoon containing a particle or germ thrown off from each separate unit in the parent organism.

   A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.

Common Misspellings for PANGENESIS

• oangenesis
• langenesis
• -angenesis
• 0angenesis
• pzngenesis
• psngenesis
• pwngenesis
• pqngenesis
• pabgenesis
• pamgenesis
• pajgenesis
• pahgenesis
• panfenesis
• panvenesis
• panbenesis
• panhenesis
• panyenesis
• pantenesis
• pangwnesis
• pangsnesis

Etymology of PANGENESIS

The word "pangenesis" is derived from two Greek words: "pan" meaning "all" or "every", and "genesis" meaning "origin" or "creation". When combined, "pangenesis" can be translated to mean "the origin or creation of all things". This term was originally used by the ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles to describe his conceptual theory of heredity, which suggested that hereditary material was transmitted from various parts of the body to reproductive cells. Charles Darwin later adopted this term to propose his own theory of heredity, which was later discredited with the emergence of modern genetics.

Plural form of PANGENESIS is PANGENESES