Final answer:
Jean Baptiste de Lamarck proposed that evolution could occur through the inheritance of acquired characteristics, an idea that has since been discredited in favor of Darwin's theory, although some elements have found resonance in modern epigenetics.
Step-by-step explanation:
The theory that Jean Baptiste de Lamarck came up with to describe evolution is known as the inheritance of acquired characteristics. Lamarck suggested that changes an individual organism undergoes during its lifetime due to environmental factors or use and disuse of certain body parts could be passed down to its offspring. Over time, these changes would accumulate, leading to the evolution of a species. Although Lamarck's theory introduced important ideas to evolutionary thought, it was eventually overshadowed by Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, which did not support the idea that acquired traits could be inherited.
Despite being discredited, Lamarck's contributions were foundational to the field of evolutionary biology. Recent scientific advances such as epigenetics have shown that while Lamarck was not entirely correct, there is more to heredity than initially understood, suggesting a complex relationship between genetics, inheritance, and the environment.