Maria Elice de Brzezinski Prestes

Maria Elice de Brzezinski Prestes is a senior associate professor in the Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology at the Institute of Biosciences of the University of São Paulo (USP), where she coordinates the Laboratory of History of Biology and Education (LaHBE IB-USP), a research group supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). She is a founding member of the Brazilian Association for the Philosophy and History of Biology (ABFHiB) and co-editor of the journal Philosophy and History of Biology. She is the author of A Investigação da Natureza no Brasil-Colônia (The Investigation of Nature in Colonial Brazil, 2000), co-editor of Teaching Science with Context: Historical, Philosophical, and Sociological Approaches (2018), and editor of Understanding Evolution in Darwin’s Origin: The Emerging Context of Evolutionary Thinking (2023).

The project

Title: Darwin, the "Almost Unknown": Debunking Myths About His Theories of Evolution and Heredity

"Scientific myths play a significant role in shaping our understanding of science and its mechanisms. Among these, the idea of the inheritance of acquired characteristics (IAC)—often associated exclusively with Lamarck and presented in contrast to Darwin—holds a special place in the history of biology. However, this claim is an epistemological myth: the concept dates back to antiquity (Hippocrates) and remained widely accepted until the 19th century, including by Darwin himself. Rather than marking a dividing line between the two naturalists, it was a shared component of their theories.

Nevertheless, the myth persists in school and university textbooks, sustained by limited engagement with original sources and recent historiography. Even reading On the Origin of Species can obscure Darwin’s numerous references to acquired traits, while his statement that “the laws of heredity are for the most part unknown” may suggest a suspension of judgment. This research aims to show, based on Darwin’s correspondence with Spencer, Wallace, and Romanes (1868–1882), that his apparent caution was strategic: he took his hypothesis of pangenesis seriously and defended it until the end of his life. The analysis follows a contextualist and diachronic historiographical approach to the history of biology."

Hosting institution: Université Paris Cité

Selective Bibliography

• SILVA, Cibelle C.; PRESTES, Maria Elice B.; FORATO, Thaís C. M. (Orgs.). Três décadas de História da Ciência: Percursos e diálogos plurais. São Paulo: LF Editorial, 2024.
• SOUZA, Rosa A. L.; PRESTES, Maria Elice B. Wallace na Amazônia: A Case for Teaching Taxonomy and Scientific Practices. American Biology Teacher, v. 86, n. 9, p. 581-588, 2024.
• BERÇOT, Filipe F.; PRESTES, Maria Elice B. Abraham Trembley & the Creature that Defies Classification. American Biology Teacher, v. 86, n. 9, p. 605-609, 2024.
• PRESTES, Maria Elice B. O mais longo mistério nos estudos do vivo: A geração espontânea. Pp. 16-43, in: KURY, Lorelai. Nas Fronteiras da Natureza: Ensaios Históricos. Rio de Janeiro: Andrea Jacobsson Estudio, 2022.
• CARLOS, Anderson Ricardo; PRESTES, Maria Elice B. Contextualizando The descent of man, de Charles Darwin: debates calorosos persistem após 150 anos de sua publicação. Filosofia e História da Biologia, 16 (2): 131-171, 2021.