Atavism derives via French from Latin atavus, meaning "ancestor." Avus in Latin means "grandfather," and it's believed that the at is related to atta, a word for "daddy." Atavism is a term rooted in evolutionary study, referring to instances when an organism possesses traits closer to a more remote ancestor, rather ...

Who coined the term atavistic?

The term atavism is most commonly attributed to Cesare Lombroso's work. Lombroso was an Italian physician and criminologist who proposed the notion that criminal behavior was innate and only partly caused by psychological and environmental conditions. In short, he believed that some people were simply 'born criminal.

What is the cause of atavism?

Atavisms can occur in several ways; one of which is when genes for previously existing phenotypic features are preserved in DNA, and these become expressed through a mutation that either knocks out the dominant genes for the new traits or makes the old traits dominate the new one.