Abstract: Pangenesis, an early theory of heredity, has been regarded as Darwin’s error for a long time. The main reason is that it explains the inheritance of acquired characteristics and graft hybridization, which were largely thought to be wrong. In addition, Galton’s blood transfusion experiments obtained negative results, and no evidence was found to support Darwin’s hypothetical gemmules—molecular carriers of hereditary characteristics, which are supposed to be thrown off by cells and are able to circulate throughout the body. Now, there are growing evidence for the inheritance of acquired characteristics and graft hybridization. The discovery of circulating nucleic acids indicates that there are indeed inherited molecules which can move between cells of the organism, providing evidence for the chemical existence of Darwin’s gemmules. This paper briefly introduces Darwin’s Pangenesis, the main reasons that it was ignored, the new evidence in support of it and our own rethinking about it. A new understanding of Pangenesis brings a broader perspective on genetics, evolution, and medicine.

Key words: inheritance of acquired characters, circu-lating nucleic acids, Darwin, theory of heredity, pangenesis, graft hybridization