noun
- a hypothetical hereditary unit proposed by Darwin to explain inheritance, thought to be produced by all cells and circulated throughout the body
Usage: historical; biology
Examples
- Darwin’s theory of pangenesis proposed that pangenes were responsible for transmitting traits from parents to offspring.
- The concept of pangenes was later replaced by our modern understanding of genes and DNA.
- Scientists in the 19th century used the pangene hypothesis to explain how characteristics could be inherited.
- Darwin believed that pangenes collected in reproductive organs to influence heredity.
- The pangene theory attempted to bridge the gap between development and inheritance.
- Modern genetics has shown that pangenes do not exist as Darwin originally conceived them.