atavism The inheritance by an individual organism of characteristics not shown by its parental generation. Once thought to be throwbacks to an ancestral form, atavisms are now known to be primarily the result of the random reappearance of recessive traits, though they may result also from aberrations in the development of the embryo from disease. Related category • GENETICS AND HEREDITY Source: National Human Genome Research Institute Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) |