200 years ago today, a man was born who would change scientific thought forever. Charles Darwin was among the first – and certainly the most prominent – to challenge the Biblical view of creation, giving rise to a controversy that still rages on to this day (particularly in America). 2009 is also the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of the Species, which had the single biggest impact on the natural and social sciences of any book written even to this day. As biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky stated, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.”
Celebrations of Darwin’s birthday are taking place all over the world, with more than 300 planned in Britain alone. Shrewsbury, the British town where Darwin was born and raised, is holding a month-long celebration of Darwin’s life and work and a permanent exhibition recreating some of his most famous experiments is opening at Down House, his former home near London. A list of events can be found at Darwin200.org.
MSNBC’s Cosmic Log has a detailed analysis of “how evolution evolved”, explaining how Darwin came to formulate his ideas on the origin of life and how evolution has been integrated into modern scientific knowledge. Scientific American’s January 2009 issue also examined how Darwin’s theory “survives, thrives and reshapes the world” – check it out online.
Those who believe in the literal word-for-word Biblical account of an invisible sky wizard creating earth, Man and everything else in the universe in 7 days may hold contempt for Darwin, but people of science and reason celebrate the contributions he has made to the world. So let’s all raise a glass today to Charles Darwin, a man who not only helped us gain a deeper understanding of how life on Earth began but also inspired so many people to take a closer look at nature.
Link [MSNBC] + [SciAm] + [Darwin200.org]
