ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Inheritance of acquired characteristics

Hello there young one. Have you ever seen a baby animal that looks like its parents? Maybe a puppy that looks like its mom or dad? Well, that's called inheritance. Inheritance is when certain characteristics, like fur color or eye shape, get passed down from parents to their children.

Now, sometimes there's a theory called "inheritance of acquired characteristics". This theory says that if an animal or plant learns or adapts to its environment, it can pass those traits on to its babies. So, let's say a giraffe stretches its neck to reach high leaves to eat. The theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics says that if that giraffe keeps stretching its neck over time, its babies will be born with slightly longer necks too.

But, here's the thing: scientists don't really believe in this theory anymore. They've done a lot of experiments and studies, and they've found that acquired characteristics don't really get passed down to babies. Instead, inherited traits come from genes that are passed down from parents through something called DNA.

So, while the idea of inheritance of acquired characteristics might sound cool, it's not really how things work in the real world. But, it's always good to keep asking questions and learning more about the world around us!