Final answer:
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the hypothesis that organisms pass acquired traits to their offspring, before Charles Darwin.
Step-by-step explanation:
Before Charles Darwin, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the hypothesis that organisms could pass traits acquired during their lifetimes to their offspring. Lamarck believed in the inheritance of acquired characteristics, where traits an organism develops during its own lifetime can be passed on to its offspring. However, this hypothesis has been proven incorrect by later scientific research.