Exactly 150 years ago today, on July 1st in 1858, Charles Darwin's and Alfred Russel Wallace's joint paper, On the Tendency of Species to Form Varieties, and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection was read at a meeting of the Linnean Society of London.
As a young naturalist 21 years previously, on July 1st 1837, Charles Darwin started a notebook on the transmutation of species. Even though the reality of speciation and natural evolution gained widespread recognition before his death on 19th April 1882, there remain furious doubters to this day as those tending free expression on the Richard Dawkins website will attest. In the modern equivalent of a Linnean Society presentation, Dawkins is again presenting the case in "Dawkins on Darwin" this August on UK's Channel 4. And Saintly (adjective, no religious connotation...) Sir Dave is also preparing a homage to Darwin too.
And on Future Earth in 150 years time, will we have scuppered our brief evolutionary success by demonstrating our lack of fitness in response to a changing environment?
(Pics are Charles Darwin, Alfred Wallace, Richard Dawkins and David Attenborough)
And on Future Earth in 150 years time, will we have scuppered our brief evolutionary success by demonstrating our lack of fitness in response to a changing environment?
(Pics are Charles Darwin, Alfred Wallace, Richard Dawkins and David Attenborough)
1 comment:
Love seeing this impressive male line up Arjay, with the one furthest to the right a clear favorite. In terms of future earth in 150 years, I must ask, with growing concern -- where are the women?!
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