History Main / LamarckWasRight

* Subverted in ''Manga/RaveMaster''. Near the end of the journey, Musica learns that Haru needs a new final form of the Ten Powers sword forged, but with the elder blacksmith Musica out of commission, he decides to see if this trope is in play and forge one himself. Unfortunately, SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome occurs and he ends up wasting a lot of needed material trying to learn how to blacksmith under a time crunch. He does pull it off, but he needs to use [[ExtraOreDinary his own powers]] to do so.

In UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, there were well established ways for a character to [[SuperHeroOrigin gain their powers]]: [[Franchise/SpiderMan being bitten by]] a [[AppliedPhlebotinum radioactive spider]], doing years of [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower Charles Atlas training]], having a [[DieOrFly near-death experience]], extensive mystic training, getting an [[ArtifactOfPower artifact of great power]], being [[CrimefightingWithCash disgustingly wealthy]], and scores of other imaginative [[{{Backstory}} backstories]]. With the advent of the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] onwards, these [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] heroes had children. Naturally, they inherited their parents' powers and heroic tendencies and many became {{legacy character}}s, through the sometimes magical agency of SuperpowerfulGenetics.

* Several percent of human genome is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus Endogenous retrovirus]] DNA. One of our ancestors got infected by a retrovirus, which made its way into the said ancestor's germ cells. Bingo! Now his/her children inherit the virus DNA with the parent DNA, until this day. Some of the endogenous retrovirus DNA has since mutated and became junk DNA ''sensu stricto'', but some of those viruses are actually still active and facilitating mutations and evolution, for better or for worse (like helping the embryo implant in the womb or playing a role in several diseases). It is highly unlikely the original infection was via a [[Franchise/SpiderMan spider bite]], though, or it would be a rare Lamarckian HarsherInHindsight. Gene therapy exploits these viral vectors' ability to integrate themselves into hosts' DNA to make LegoGenetics possible, in order to cure genetic diseases forever or make {{Transhuman}} DesignerBabies.

There is a real world phenomenon known as the epigenome, that describes how the DNA expression if not actual DNA can be affected by environmental factors in the lives of ancestors. For instance, famines at certain stages in the lives of grandparents can adjust the rates of diabetes in the grandchildren. [[WebVideo/VlogBrothers Hank Green]] briefly explains the relatively new field of epigenetics in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp1bZEUgqVI this YouTube video.]] Another often overlooked possibility is gut bacteria, which are known to change in response to environmental factors and are [[{{Squick}} passed from a mother to her baby at birth]]. But while this can affect stuff like heritability of IQ or the ability to metabolize milk proteins, it is unlikely to confer say, complex things such as your mother's encyclopaedic knowledge in engineering or your father's macaroni cooking skills. It might tend towards [[RequiredSecondaryPowers a better production of muscle/brain tissue or something like that]], but skill itself is not biologically heritable.

** This was later explained via a retcon in a 1997 storyline in ‘’X-Man’’ of all places , when the Purple Man secretly manipulated the mutant superhero (and dystopian alternate-universe survivor refugee) X-Man into becoming his unwitting pawn by raising his already god-like power-levels (through Purple Man using his powers so X-Man could suddenly become New York City’s latest flavor-of-the-month favorite celebrity) even further so X-Man could literally resurrect the Purple Man’s long-dead family (his first wife and children who were killed during the real-life 1990’s Balkan Wars when their home country Yugoslavia collapsed into warring states). An enraged Nate Grey learns that his surprise rise to popularity with the general public was all mainly manufactured, and Zebediah Killgrave tries to calm him and convince him to be his ally by revealing his deepest secret: that he is actually an X-gene mutant as well , and the gas that supposedly mutated him only awakened his own latent powers. Now, the Zebediah Killgrave could simply be lying as this revelation never gets referenced again anywhere else ever again , but it was literally impossible for him to still be able to lie to Nate Grey at this point in time, and indeed the Purple Man tells X-Man that his mind is an open book to any of his telepathic probes, and Nate Grey doesn’t refute anything he says.
*** in an identical circumstance , fellow X-gene mutant and on-off X-Man Mimic was also once considered to be a non-X-gene mutant (at least in the main Reality-616-universe) due to getting his powers after exposure to an experimental bioweapon gas but was ultimately confirmed via datapage in HOXPOX to indeed be a latent X-gene mutant (after decades of dispute due to a retcon in a sidestory in an anthology whose main-universe canonicity was only confirmed in the Krakoa Era)

** Harry, meanwhile, actually subverts this in that he doesn't inherit his father's [[PowerOfTheStorm Weather Manipulation]] abilities, instead specialising in [[PlayingWithFire fire magic]] and PsychicPowers, the latter of which he definitely inherited from his mother (in the former case, her own proclivities may or may not have had something to do with it). Also, possibly from [[spoiler: the Phoenix Force]], which Lily invoked to provide his protection. He also picked up a number of her mannerisms and aspects of her personality, which are speculated to be based on subconscious memories - he even starts to look a little more like her as he gets older, rather than a green-eyed younger clone of his father's James Potter form. That said, as time goes by, he starts to take after his father more and more in terms of SuperStrength, but overall this trope is generally played realistically.

** Kara Killgrave (a.k.a. Purple Girl, Persuasion, Purple Woman), the daughter of the Purple Man, is another case, as she developed the exact same powers as her father, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin right down to his purple skin]]. That's despite the fact that he was hit by a rapidly-escaping nerve gas.
** Scorpion (Carmilla Black) was designed based on the original plan that she was the daughter of Viper (Madame Hydra). To show she was Viper's daughter they gave her naturally green hair. As Viper's hair is dyed, instead, they ended up with Monica Rappaccini (AIM's Scientist Supreme) as her mother, who DependingOnTheArtist ''also'' has green hair. It's later revealed that her father might be [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]], who apparently fathered her ''immediately'' after the incident that created the Hulk, but she lacks any kind of Hulk traits beyond being low-key radioactive. However, this is ''not'' because of his DNA, but rather that Monica altered her DNA in the womb as part of an experiment to make her the perfect sleeper agent, and all her powers come from that.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Fanfic/CandyForYourThoughts,'' where the alien clone of [[ExtravertedNerd Cody]] has an [[AscendedExtra increased role]]. Apparently Cody's DNA makes him an instant pervert, with a particular attraction to [[WellExcuseMePrincess Courtney]], since she's Cody's LoveInterest for this story. He even finds himself obsessed with bras, despite not knowing what they are. Also, he instinctively hates [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Duncan]] and [[StalkerWithACrush Sierra]].

* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', Semblances can sometimes share traits between related individuals, but ones that stay relatively unchanged from person to person are fairly rare.

* The ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series' Chao (introduced in ''Sonic Adventure'') work a little bit like this. Two Chao born as completely blank slates with randomized stat grades (indicating how well they're going to progress when that stat levels up) can raise their stats through work and raise a stat's grade. If you breed them together, the child will inherit stat grades from one parent or the other and can inherit the ''improved'' grade rather than the original.

* In the ''Literature/{{Shannara}}'' book series, the Ohmsford family begins to have innate magic starting with the children of Wil Ohmsford. {{Justified|Trope}} in-story: Wil's use of the magical elfstones was problematic, as [[HalfHumanHybrid he wasn't "elf" enough]], and permanently left a trace of magic within him.

** There are hints of this in ''Literature/LordOfTheRings'', especially in how Gollum adapts to semi-aquatic, underground life over the course of centuries, as well as the fish that he hunts, that have grown large, bulging eyes in an attempt to see in the darkness.

* WordOfGod explains that most methods of gaining magic in ''Literature/TheCosmere'' rewrite a person's "spiritual DNA," allowing the magic to be passed on. Allomancy is one of the most visible, to the point that it's basically genetic, but there are others. The Idrian royal family in ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' have the "Royal Locks," color-changing hair that is only inherited by those in line for the throne, because they are descended from the First Returned. The lighteyes from ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' are descended from the darkeyes who stole the [[SoulCuttingBlade Shardblades]] of the Knights Radiant. Bonding a Shardblade lightens eye color, and this was passed down. The Knights themselves may have passed down their light eyes as well, but none of their other abilities.

* ''Franchise/{{Mistborn}},'' "allomancers" - who have the ability to ingest metal and use it to fuel magical abilities, inherit their powers from their ancestors. It tips into Lamarckian territory when it turns out [[spoiler: the original allomancers got their powers from eating a nugget of magic metal, rather than being born with the gift.]] Allomancers existed before then, but they were much more rare.

* The Star Kings of Jack Vance's DemonPrinces universe are explicitly stated to have Lamarckian genetics, and it's the reason they become the dominant species on their planet.

** This frequently happens among Houses, with distinctive looks and sometimes personalities among Houses. For example, the three Baratheon brothers, Robert, Stannis, and Renly, are noted to be quite stubborn, though apart from that, they have quite different personalities. Robert's bastards all resemble him, which becomes a plot point as his ''legitimate'' children don't, looking more like their mother Cersei's House, the Lannisters. [[spoiler:It later turns out they are not Robert's children, but were sired from an incestuous affair between Cersei and her brother, Ser Jaime Lannister.]] Robert's bastards also seem to share the Baratheon stubbornness, even Gendry who is unaware of his parentage, though correctly thinks his father was some smelly drunk. Two of Robert's bastards also share his affinity for hammers, Edric Storm had a miniature hammer sent to him for a present, while Gendry uses a hammer himself and has been trained as a smith.

In UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, there were well established ways for a character to [[SuperHeroOrigin gain their powers]]: [[Franchise/SpiderMan being bitten by]] a [[AppliedPhlebotinum radioactive spider]], doing years of [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower Charles Atlas training]], having a [[DieOrFly near-death experience]], extensive mystic training, getting an [[GreenLanternRing artifact of great power]], being [[CrimefightingWithCash disgustingly wealthy]], and scores of other imaginative [[{{Backstory}} backstories]]. With the advent of the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] onwards, these [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] heroes had children. Naturally, they inherited their parents' powers and heroic tendencies and many became {{legacy character}}s, through the sometimes magical agency of SuperpowerfulGenetics.

* ''LightNovel/AriaTheScarletAmmo'': Averted, in the case of two of the characters. Supposedly, both Aria and Riko are deficient versions of their great-grandfathers. Aria is unable to solve cases with the Holmes deductive skills, and Riko is [[spoiler: not as impressive a thief as a Lupin should be.]]
* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'':

** Played straight. [[spoiler:Claire's solipsism- his belief that the world is his dream and therefore he is the only real person-]] is somehow passed onto all of his and [[spoiler:Chane]]'s descendants, with their [[spoiler:granddaughter, Claudia, exhibiting this the most]].

* Cultural evolution ''does'' work like this, as [[UsefulNotes/{{Memetics}} ideas acquired in life (or mutations thereof) can be taught to one's offspring]].
** Linguistic evolution works like this too. Two languages from completely different families may end up sharing common features if their populations stay in close contact for long periods of time. For example, UsefulNotes/{{Japanese|Language}}, Vietnamese, and Korean all belong to different families unrelated to the UsefulNotes/{{Chinese language}}s, but they adopted Chinese vocabulary and variants of Chinese writing (though Vietnamese and Korean have mostly abandoned Chinese-based scripts in favor of their own alphabets). Likewise, {{Yiddish|AsASecondLanguage}} originated as an offshoot of medieval UsefulNotes/{{German|Language}} influenced by Hebrew and written in a Hebrew-based script, and UsefulNotes/{{Spanish|Language}} and Swahili developed strong UsefulNotes/{{Arabic|Language}} influence over centuries of Arab contact.
* If your parents are 'intelligentsia' or 'politicians' or 'military middle class', you'll usually be expected to be good at the same sort of jobs and be expected to grow up as one as well.
** Before the development of trade schools and formal educations, most jobs were like this; boys were expected to grow up and take their fathers' jobs, especially more mundane positions, like farming, carpentry, and other manual labor jobs. If a boy wanted to learn a trade different from his father's, he would have to become an apprentice to someone else. It was simply easier to become an apprentice to your own father. Younger siblings might have had more options, though, because they weren't expected to inherit the family business.

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[[folder:Literature]]
* In the novel ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'', the man-ape Moon-Watcher being made intelligent by the monolith is described thus: "The very atoms of his simple brain were being twisted into new patterns. If he survived, those patterns would become eternal, for his genes would pass them on to future generations." If the monolith wanted the patterns passed on, it should have been doing the twisting a bit lower down...
* Oddly abused in Brandon Sanderson's ''[[Literature/AlcatrazSeries Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians]]'' YA novels, where superhuman powers, called "Talents," literally and explicitly come from having the last name "Smedry". Al's mother [[spoiler: acquires the ability to "lose things" by marrying Mr. Smedry, and an escape is engineered at one point by Alcatraz performing a marriage between a Smedry and a good librarian. This passes his ability to [[DanceBattler Dance Badly]]]].

** In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', Goku's granddaughter Pan not only transforms into a Super Saiyan, but does it ''while still in the womb''.

* ''Characters/LupinIII'': The Lupin dynasty. [[Literature/ArseneLupin Arsène the First]] is the archetypical GentlemanThief with all that that implies. Flashbacks show that his son, Lupin II, was awesome as well. Lupin III, himself, is a CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass {{Kaitou}}. It continues in his illegitimate son ([[Manga/LupinIII manga-Lupin]] only), who is incredibly cunning; he was able to outsmart Fujiko and hold his own against a sword ''while armed with only a wrench''. Any attempts made by the police to capture these criminals tend to fail, usually embarrassingly.

** He inherited his mom's VerbalTic "Datteba_" [[spoiler:(which is also pass down to his son as well) despite Naruto never having even ''met'' Kushina (or more specifically, a chakra imprint of her in the Nine-Tails' seal) until he was 17 years old]].

*** This is actually Gold's special ability. He can pass his will to an unhatched Pokémon. His Togepi turned out to be a avid gambler with a violent temper because its owner carried its egg around arcades and dreamed about it beating the crap out of Silver. His Pichu also turned out to be super-powerful and brave because he wanted to protect it and prove himself worthy of being a Dex Holder.

* A manga only story arc of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' introduces the Musk Dynasty, who use magic to bring about this precise effect. Generations ago, the Musk's ancestors wanted to become the greatest masters of the various "Animal Styles" of Kung Fu. So they settled in a valley near [[TransformationRay Jusenkyô]], captured animals, cursing them in the Spring of Drowned Girl, locking them in that form, and having kids with them to pass the animal traits on to the children. It seems to have worked; Herb, a dragon-blooded, is an incredibly powerful ki user, the tiger-blooded Lime is a MightyGlacier and wolf-blooded Mint is a FragileSpeedster.

* ComicBook/AvengersAcademy character Finesse has the same powers as ComicBook/{{Taskmaster}}, who gained them by special serum, and it's implied she might be his daughter. When the two of them meet, she directly asks him about it, only for it to turn out that a drawback of his powers is loss of his non-combat related memories, so he has no damn idea.

** The "Battle For The Cowl" miniseries/crossover began to fix that. Another villain points out to Langstrom that it's ''impossible'' for a mix of common chemicals to have that effect, that the formula was a psychological crutch for the activation of Langstrom's innate super-powers. Indeed, in that same issue he transforms ''without the formula'' and kept control (to a degree). Apparently it [[DependingOnTheWriter depends on the writer]]; [[DaddysLittleVillain Talia al-Ghul]] steals the formula a year later and uses it [[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison create an army of ninja Man-Bats]].
* In the second ''Batman'' / ''Film/{{Alien}}'' crossover, a MadScientist creates hybrids between the xenomorphs and Batman's RoguesGallery. The hybrids somehow contrive to still look like their human counterparts despite it making no sense whatsoever, like the Two-Face one having half its skull damaged, the Joker one's skin looking like clown makeup, and the Scarecrow's face looking like his mask. The only one who doesn't look human at all is the Killer Croc hybrid ([[spoiler:and this turns out to be the scientist's downfall, because where the other hybrids had some of her (and her dormant queen chestburster's) DNA and thus didn't attack her, the Croc hybrid didn't and ate her on sight]]).
* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica received his powers (physical attributes at the absolute peak of human perfection) from a shot of the SuperSoldier Serum; after that the serum was tested on black soldiers, and of the initial test subjects, only Isiah Bradley survived, gaining the peak physicality. Bradley's son, Josiah, inherited the Super Soldier Serum effects from his father. He uses the name Josiah X in his hero career. Bradley's grandson, [[ComicBook/YoungAvengers Elijah Bradley]], gets seriously injured when the Skrulls attack New York, and after a blood transfusion from his grandfather, gained the traits of Captain America. This is somewhat better than the standard explanation.

* Two [[Franchise/TheFlash Flashes]] -- ComicBook/WallyWest and Barry Allen -- have had children, and in both cases the children have inherited the speed powers. It's a Speed Force thing, or something. It's even bred true to both of Barry's grandkids.

*** Which can further be explained by the fact that Barry Allen might have been the creator of the Speed Force, and so anybody else in his bloodline will have a higher chance of inheriting speed based powers. Barry's powers themselves are an ontological paradox, as it's been stated in the comics that he went back in time, turned into a bolt of [[LightningCanDoAnything energy]], and struck the chemicals which gave him superspeed.

* From '' ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'', Dr. Banner had three children post-Hulk. His daughter Lyra has green skin and some super-strength, but averts the trope because she was created via genetic engineering. His son Skaar is able to become a Hulk himself, while his twin Hiro-Kala appears to have inherited nothing of the Hulk (implying they're likely fraternal twins).

** The "Mad Love" comic played with this trope when Harley Quinn had a number of {{Imagine Spot}}s about she and the Joker getting married and raising a family. Their two kids (a girl and a boy) have permanently whitened faces, though it is unclear if they were born this way or if their parents made them up to look like themselves (the latter of which is arguably just as creepy). One image showing Harley giving birth to the children implies that they are bleached coming out of the womb - but Harley herself, who has been stripped down to her bra, ''also'' has white skin by this point, suggesting that the Joker wants his entire family Jokerized and painted the babies as soon as they emerged from Harley's womb (though in the picture he's more concerned with [[TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether murdering the doctors and nurses by handing out exploding cigars to celebrate]]).
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' averts this. Joe and Rico Dredd were clone from the original Chief Judge, Eustace Fargo, to be the ultimate law enforcers. While they succeeded with Joe Dredd himself, Rico ends up as a LawmanGoneBad, running his own criminal operations before Joe sends him to Titan. Dredd himself has been cloned and, aside from the second Rico, none of them have really worked out; Kraken ended up being manipulated into causing the Necropolis by the Dark Judges, Nimrod suffered from serious neurodegenerative issues caused by genetic modification and had to be put down, Dolman just upped and quit despite showing promise, and [[OppositeSexClone Paris]] ended up pregnant.

** This actually became a plot point in the ''End of Greys'' arc in the mid 2000s, when the Shi'ar Death Commandos slaughtered the entire Grey family on the assumption that there was a predisposition to hosting the Phoenix in the family - something which came back during ''Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire'' and 2013's ''X-Men'' run, when Rachel met the Shi'ar responsible for the idea and pointed out how [[ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen the Phoenix Five (and for that matter, Hope Summers)]] demonstrated that that idea was rubbish.

* '' ComicBook/{{Nexus}}'': Scarlet and Sheena Hellpop inherited their father's fusionkasting powers, even though his abilities were given him by the Merk, and were also periodically taken away.

* DoubleSubversion with Wildcat II, the son of ComicBook/{{Wildcat}}. Wildcat is a [[BadassNormal superb fighter with no other powers]]. His son isn't so great at it. On the other hand, after the father spent a lifetime of dressing up in a cat suit, the son can turn into a [[CatGirl Catboy]]. As it turns out, his powers really are inherited - his ''mother'' was a werepanther, so it's just an amusing coincidence that his power connected with his old man's gimmick.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Fanfic/CandyForYourThoughts,'' where the alien clone of [[ExtravertedNerd Cody]] has an [[AscendedExtra increased role]]. Apparently Cody's DNA makes him a instant pervert, with a particular attraction to [[WellExcuseMePrincess Courtney]], since she's Cody's LoveInterest for this story. He even finds himself obsessed with bras, despite not knowing what they are. Also, he instinctively hates [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Duncan]] and [[StalkerWithACrush Sierra]].

** The brothers are extremely skilled at using firearms; but no mention is made of them having formal or informal military/firearms training. Their father is just as gun-crazy and vigilante-minded; but spent the entirety of his sons' lives in jail. It is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in the second movie, when the ''BigBad'' comes right out and states that killing runs in their blood.

* The head art designer for ''Film/StarTrek2009'' came up with the explanation for the Romulans' V-shaped forehead ridges that they were originally formed by raised scar tissue from ritualistic cutting, and its prevalence caused it to eventually become a naturally occurring genetic trait. Which is akin to claiming that if you have a family line where everyone cuts off their left pinky finger, after enough generations they will start having babies which are born without that finger.

* There are countless tales that explain how a certain animal became what it is, all via artificial means. Be it a certain color they received via paint being dropped on them (like one bird which is very colorful, supposedly cause God was running out of paint and used a bit of everything on the last bird), body "deformations" due to mechanical force (like the elephant example above), losing body parts due to them being chopped off, or behaviors which are supposedly due to past experiences (e.g. the reason all birds are hostile towards owls is supposed to be because the owl messed something up in one folklore, so it seems even grudges get inherited.) In folklore these can be called "once-always" stories; animals, people, plants etc. are the way they are to mark a particular event in the distant past. Mircea Eliade would say this is one of the ways people connect ordinary, everyday things with the distant, mythic past and keep it as a living reality.

** Though never stated in the Bible, it's CommonKnowledge that women have more ribs than men, because Adam gave up one to create Eve. It's been theorized that the "rib" removed was actually a euphemism for the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baculum baculum]], a bone present in the penis of many other mammals but not humans.

* According to [[Myth/GreekMythology Greek myth]], the reason Athenian boys have small, lean buttocks is because when Heracles rescued Theseus from the Underworld, Theseus had to tear strips of his buttocks away to escape a trap bench.

* In Creator/AgathaChristie's short story "The Cretan Bull" in her collection ''The Labors of Hercules'', Literature/HerculePoirot solves a mystery by determining that the character Colonel Frobisher was really the father of Hugh Chandler. He did this due to the biological fact that Hugh inherited Frobisher's habit of "drawing down his brows over his eyes and lowering his head, thrusting it forward, while those same shrewd little eyes studied you piercingly." No word which chromosome this habit comes from.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', Harry instantly becomes a talented Seeker despite never having played or even seen anyone play before. The characters explain this by saying that James was an incredible flyer as well. The problem here stems from the fact that it is said that Harry got his good eyesight for locating the snitch from his father. The same Harry that wears glasses which shows just how strange genetics can be: Harry has Myopia, but could easily have excellent vision by other standards, such as colour, depth and motion perception.

** This frequently happens among Houses, with distinctive looks and sometimes personalities among Houses. For example, the three Baratheon brothers, Robert, Stannis and Renly are noted to be quite stubborn, though apart from that they have quite different personalities. Robert's bastards all resemble him, which becomes a plot point as his ''legitimate'' children don't, looking more like their mother Cersei's House, the Lannisters. [[spoiler:It later turns out they are not Robert's children, but were sired from an incestuous affair between Cersei and her brother, Ser Jaime Lannister.]] Robert's bastards also seem to share the Baratheon stubbornness, even Gendry who is unaware of his parentage, though correctly thinks his father was some smelly drunk. Two of Robert's bastards also share his affinity for hammers, Edric Storm had a miniature hammer sent to him for a present, while Gendry uses a hammer himself and has been trained as a smith.
** With regards to Cersei's father Tywin Lannister, his youngest child Tyrion Lannister seems to have inherited his Machiavellian intelligence. Ironically due to Tyrion being a dwarf and for Tywin's beloved wife Joanna dying in childbirth, Tywin hates Tyrion; when his sister Genna pointed out Tyrion was the child most like him, Tywin refused to speak to her. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Cersei,]] meanwhile, believes she's inherited Tywin's political skill but only seems to inherit his cruelty and contempt for the smallfolk. Her eldest son [[RoyalBrat Joffrey]] is even nastier and more tyrannical then Cersei, though this may be partially due to her influence. Ironically Tywin's favored son Ser Jaime Lannister is the one least like him, not having Tywin's political savvy and becoming more decent as the story goes on, questioning the influence of his family on his actions.
** Walder Frey has a mass of descendants, being almost 90 when the series begins, and from his various marriages and affairs, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren number over a hundred. They're all generally described as looking like weasels and acting unpleasantly, though there are some nice Freys.

* The daughters to the titular hero of ''Series/BlackLightning2018'' inherit their father's metahuman gene, developing their own powers. Whereas the older Anissa gains SuperStrength, it's the younger Jennifer who directly gains his ShockAndAwe abilities; however, while Black Lightning requires that he stores electricity in his body to fuel his powers, Jennifer ''generates'' electricity as her body keeps producing energy, the implication that she will potentially be stronger than her father one day after mastering her abilities.

* On ''Series/TheMentalist'', an internal affairs officer tells LawfulGood FairCop Rigsby it's not his fault if he's prone to crime, since his father was a biker, and evidence suggests criminality could run in the family. He is [[BerserkButton not happy]]. Also subverted in that everybody on the team is seen to be very different from their parents (who include the aforementioned biker, an abusive drunk, and a particularly nasty conman).

* Music/JeffBuckley , who barely knew his father Music/TimBuckley , nor listened to his music until he was an adult, bore a strange amount of resemblance to him. This was most notable in his folk influences (both played 12 string guitars), which gave way to more experimental music (in Tim's case, funk, and in Jeff's case, alt-rock), both their signature songs being sparse songs atypical of their regular output (Tim's Song To The Siren and Jeff's cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah respectively), his appearance and his early death and cult following. Jeff did not pursue a career in music because of his father, nor with any goal of making similar music, so it is a rare example of this trope in effect unintentionally.

* 2D of Music/{{Gorillaz}} got his trademark blue hair when [[ArtisticLicenseBiology a head injury changed something in his brain chemistry, causing all his hair to fall out and grow back blue]]. In the old Kong Studios interactive website, there was an email on 2D's computer from a lawyer telling him he couldn't deny that his many illegitimate children were his because "the spiky blue hair is a dead giveaway".

** Tieflings in the 4th Edition partially inherit a DealWithTheDevil that their ancestors made as a racial trait. Their differences from base-line humanity are magical, not biological, though.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' takes this to extremes with livestock breeding. Sheep are usually white, but other natural colors include black, gray, brown, and (rarely) pink. However, sheep can be dyed any color of the rainbow, and this color is passed onto offspring. This feature was implemented by popular request, since blue dye is made from lapis lazuli, a mineral found deep underground, only slightly more common than diamonds.

** In ''VideoGame/TheSims3'', parents can pass on their traits to their children. Also, since all hair/eye/skin colors are now equally dominant (opposed to following the basic Punnett model of dominant and recessive that was in its predecessor), you could easily have a child with Dad's blue skin and Mom's pink hair with orange highlights.
** ''VideoGame/TheSims4'': A mother dyeing her hair during pregnancy will result in the baby having her new hair color (e.g. a pregnant brunette who dyes her hair red will get a red haired baby)

* ''VideoGame/TomodachiLife'': The skin, hair and faces of the Mii babies are an obvious mixture of the elements of their parents, by color, style, and even their positioning. This even extends to babies inheriting lipstick or eyeshadow, or at other times, inheriting old, grey hair.

** To a smaller degree, Franziska von Karma's inherited both her father Manfred von Karma's prosecuting skills and his [[spoiler: ability to get shot in the shoulder.]]
** Maya, Mia, Misty and Pearl Fey have all inherited Ami Fey's potential and ability to channel the spirits of the dead. Morgan Fey and her two other daughters, however, only got traces of it, which is a driving force behind a huge portion of the plot of the second and third games.

*** In the latter example it is shown that while the two boys had the capability their father trained them ruthlessly and vigorously so they would learn in a few years what took him decades to do.

*** Curiously enough the ability to "see" with the earth doesn't seem to be a matter of genetics but more spiritual training: Toph, the first known earth bender to "see" with bending learnt from Badger Moles, 'the first earth benders'. She taught Aang and later her daughters how to do the same. In the same way Dragons, Sky Bison and the Moon can teach those with an aptitude how to bend their element (as explained by Aang and Zuko).

** Subverted. Absolutely none of the clones have anything in common with their progenitors except for their appearance (and that can be somewhat dubious; for instance, Cleopatra was not a beautiful native Egyptian, but descended from Greek rulers). The only one who even vaguely resembles their progenitor is JFK, who acts like a caricature of the actual Kennedy, due to a combination of insecurity over his masculinity due to his gay foster parents, and his belief that that's how the actual JFK acted.

'''Doris:''' I'm not sure. It was either UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy, or some fat guy who always went to movies and complained about them.\\

** During a blizzard that left the kids of Springfield Elementary trapped in the school, Nelson offered to dig a tunnel through the snow with his bare hands, which he thought he could do because he was part-Eskimo. Principal Skinner retorted that [[MistakenNationality not even Kristi Yamaguchi could do that]].
** The evil in Sideshow Bob's family is definitely InTheBlood, even [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E16BrotherFromAnotherSeries if they're fighting against each other]]. ''This'' trope applies to [[spoiler:Bob's son, Gino, who apparently fantasized about murdering Bart before he had ''ever seen or heard of him''. He also inexplicably picked up his father's gift for [[RakeTake Rake Takes]].]]

** Experiments in rats have shown that cross-fostered pups of mothers who exhibit attentive parental care (licking and grooming behaviors, in particular) end up, through the action of acetylation and methylation, having less of an "anxious" response to stressors. When these rats become mothers themselves, they exhibit the same sort of parental behavior towards their pups, so it is a continuing cycle -- independent of genotype, the maternal attention is propagated to the next generation and so on.
** Traditional UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans have known for centuries that the effects of stress and trauma can be passed on and account for the high rate of alcoholism, drug addiction, suicide and illnesses like diabetes among Indian people. [[https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/trauma-may-be-woven-into-dna-of-native-americans-CbiAxpzar0WkMALhjrcGVQ Native scientists and researchers]] are now uncovering the facts about intergenerational trauma. Support organizations like [[https://wellbriety.com/ Wellbriety]] are based on healing and recovery through the application of these ideas.

* Endosymbiosis is the current prevailing theory on the origin of certain organelles--mainly the mitochondria and chloroplasts--in the cells of eukaryotic (e.g., multicellular) life. The theory is that the organelles were originally entirely separate single celled organisms that were eaten by the eukaryotic cell but not digested properly. When the larger cell divided, so would the organelles, and so they were passed onto descendants without any immediate genetic change. In the course of evolution, most of the organelles' DNA was deleted or outsourced into the nucleus of the host.
** Further, the organelles provide an energy source which was not previously available, so it [[RuleOfFunny could be argued]] that the cells were given superpowers by something that they ate, which was then passed on to their descendants.

** That's not necessarily genetic, though. We know that the impact of poverty, malnutrition and stress on fetal development is vast, and that this continues to affect health and intelligence in adulthood.