Origin of Species
by Charles Darwin
Published 1859
Non-Fiction
I started reading this because Darwin’s 200th birthday is coming up on Feb 12. I actually listened to this rather than read it. I wasn’t sure how easy this was going to be to follow but had heard that it was friendly to the unscientific, professionally speaking. It was easy enough!
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If I had to boil it down…
Darwin believed that species [both plant and animal] began in certain location around Earth and eventually migrated around. He doesn’t believe that the continents broke away from each other, but that ocean levels changed over time allowing animal species to move around. Here he references Charles Lyell’s advocation of uniformitarianism, the believe that the earth was shaped entirely by slow-moving forces still in operation today.
Certain characteristics make these species better able to survive in the environment which get passed down to offspring [theory of descent with modification]. This happens over a very long time which creates variety upon variety of a species until the parent species eventually becomes extinct. We might be able to connect the dots to parent species by looking at reproductive systems, embryonic development, and organs left over from other species [fish's bladder once used for buoyancy is now used for breathing, etc.] This just happens to also be how scientists were classifying species at the time which only helped Darwin as he provided proof to back it up! It is also here that he mentions humans being similar to animal species [hand bones to moles, etc.] which is obviously the most controversial part of his theory today. Unfortunately, some would use this theory socially, asserting that some humans were more developed than others to “justify discrimination, repression and even genocide”. [Sparknote Analysis]
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It is interesting (is that the right word?) that he focuses on the males role in the reproductive relationship and suggests that they are the one responsible for passing on favorable traits to offspring.
Cool image I saw on NYT
Darwin throws out there all the problems that his peers have seen with his theory. Some he refutes some he doesn’t because he can’t and he admits that. For instance, he brings up the fact that some ant colonies are dependent on slave-ants which are sterile female ants. How is it that the slave ants are always sterile, especially if they cannot pass down that characteristic? He cannot tell us and fully admits that this particular case could throw his theory out the window all together.
I’m glad I read this! Personally, I believe in evolution and am glad I learned a little more about how this theory… um evolved! 
To continue the celebration, Paul and I went to Darwin Day yesterday at the Texas Memorial Museum on UT Campus. It was very cool! There were jars of specimen that Darwin collected on his travels and a birthday cake! The place was swarming with kids which was awesome. Paul wore his Stop Plate Tectonics t-shirt and got lots of comments like, “Reunite Pangea!” What a fun, geeky crowd See pics below!
Look out little buddy!!
Wish this would have come out better… it was beautiful!
This was the best t-shirt we saw!
Fossils from the largest flying creature to be unearthed right here in our own Big Bend
Awesome facepainting… I wanted to get my face painted but the line was REALLY long…
Happy Birthday Charlie!
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