Happy Anniversary Charles Darwin!

[santo=dorf]

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/n.../dayintech_0701

 

<---anyway we can get this guy to nod?

[knightni]

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/n.../dayintech_0701

 

 

 

Chimps don't nod.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Wired did a nice job with that article. One interesting and important historical point is left out though, namely, the reason Darwin spent the 24 years after the Beagle Voyage in composing his "long argument", versus the slapdash treatment wallace gave the subject. Darwin was waiting to publish in deference to the sensibilities thew Beagle's Captain, Robert Fitzroy. First, Chuck D owed a debt to Fitzroy for bringing him onto the Beagle as the "Ship's Gentleman", as his self-appointed role as ship's naturalist was strictly an avocation – a way to occupy his mind and time while not socializing with Fitzroy (the captain did not socialize with common crew, hence the need/niche for the ship's gentleman).

 

After the Beagle expedition, Darwin started to formalize some of his ideas on natural selection, and of course he was eager to share some of his insights with Fitzroy. The Captain, a religiously devout individual, was aghast at some of the 'heresy' Young Chuck was espousing, and that fact was not lost on Darwin. Gentleman that he was, after the voyage ended he made up his mind to wait until Fitzroy passed before widely publishing his theory. This gave him more than two decades to refine, revise, and substantiate his theory with dozens of examples from his observations of nature. If not for Wallace stumbling onto the same basic theory, Darwin would have no doubt delayed his own publication even longer.

 

Fitzroy, who didn't die until 1865 (suicide, btw), was deeply offended when Origin of Species came out, and felt betrayed by his old friend. The year after its publication, Fitzroy was in attendance at a scientific meeting where Darwin's theory was being debated (Fitzroy was himself a respected meteorologist and was there to present a paper). He actually stood up during the debate and raised a Bible over his head and implored the attendees to believe in the word of God and not the word of man.

 

And now you know. . . the rest of the story.