It's a couple of days late, but it's a very nice bio. I thought at least a
few of the people on the list might enjoy it.
Susan
=====
To be published in the Kansas City Star, 12 February 2000
Happy 191st, Mr.Darwin
Charles Darwin - 1809-1882
By Liz Craig
You've probably seen the picture. A grizzled old man
with sad, drooping eyes and skin like a crumpled
cotton sheet. But despite his unprepossessing
appearance, he's none other than the 19th century
British naturalist whose theory brought science into
the modern era in 1859: Charles Darwin.
Looking at that picture of the elderly Darwin, it's
hard to imagine the daring young man he once was. At
the age of 21, despite his worried father's
discouragement, he signed on for an extended ocean
voyage in search of knowledge about the natural world.
From 1831 to 1836, during the journey of the H.M.S.
Beagle, Darwin observed and collected specimens in
exotic locales around the globe.
As Darwin examined his specimens, he noticed striking
similarities between modern species and fossils of
extinct species in South America. And he noticed
similarities between the native plants and animals of
the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific and those in
South America.
Over the next two decades, based on his observations
and careful study of the specimens he had collected,
Darwin formulated several related theories: first,
that evolution did occur; second, that evolutionary
change was gradual, requiring thousands to millions of
years; third, that the primary mechanism for evolution
was a process called "natural selection"; and fourth,
that the millions of species alive today descended
from one or a few simple common ancestors through a
process called "speciation."
Darwin theorized that variation within species occurs
randomly and that the survival or extinction of each
plant or animal lineage is determined by its ability
to adapt to its environment. In 1859, he published his
theories in a book, "On the Origin of Species." Darwin
continued to write on botany, geology, and zoology
until his death in 1882. Today he rests among many
other distinguished Britons in Westminster Abbey.
Contrary to popular belief, Darwin didn't originate
the idea of evolution. It was accepted by many
scientists even before the publication of "On the
Origin of Species." Darwin's major contribution was
organizing and codifying the physical evidence for
evolution in a more comprehensive way than had
previously been done. The only part of Darwin's theory
that caused much controversy among his scientific
contemporaries was his proposal of natural selection
as the primary mechanism for evolution.
The theory has caused more controversy among
non-scientists, however. Some people have been
troubled by what they see as religious and
sociological implications in it. But Darwin avoided
such speculations. He was not a theologian or a
sociologist, but merely a scientist seeking to know
how the world's incredible variety of plant and animal
life came about. The answers he discovered form the
framework of modern life sciences and the basis of
research in nearly every branch of science, including
biology, zoology, geology, anthropology, and
paleontology.
So today, on Charles Darwin's 191st birthday, take a
moment to remember the daring young Englishman who
ignored his father's cautions and embarked on the
adventure of a lifetime. Because of his work, we have
learned of the interconnectedness of life on earth,
advanced to new frontiers of knowledge in medicine and
technology, discovered DNA and mapped the human
genome. The adventure he began in the 19th century
continues in the 21st, as we explore new ways to
improve health and quality of life. Darwin's voyage
aboard the H.M.S Beagle ended long ago. But because of
it, science's journey of discovery goes on and on.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Under the First Amendment, there is no such thing as a false idea. However
pernicious an opinion may seem, we depend for its correction not on the
conscience of judges and juries but on the competition of other ideas." -
Justice Lewis Powell 1974
--------
Peace is not the absence of conflict--it is the presence of justice.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
Please visit my website:
http://www.telepath.com/susanb
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