Appreciating evolution on Darwin's 200th birthday
Today marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, and later this year will see the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species. Scientists have a reputation as being a bit unsentimental, but we do have a habit of marking major intellectual milestones; 2005 was the Year of Physics, celebrating Einstein's anno mirabilis, and this year is also notable as the Year of Astronomy in recognition of work by Galileo and Kepler. Still, the celebration of Darwin seems to focus on the man himself as much as the theory he produced, in part because he seems to have accomplished what every scientist wishes they could do. He made insightful observations in locations from remote islands to his own back yard, integrated them with information from everyone from Thomas Malthus to pigeon breeders, and produced a theory that was argued in such compelling terms, that the Origin was widely read by the public. All that, and he appeared to remain a generous and humble person, by all accounts.
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