As part of my summer break, I am finally finishing Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species. As I read, I can't help but notice the parts where Darwin's thinking on the subject of genetics was incorrect and/or incomplete. Despite these obvious problems, it truly is amazing how much Darwin got right.
For instance, the scant fossil record of Darwin's era was one of his major disappointments because it seemed to offer little to support his theory of evolution by natural selection:
Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory. The explanation lies, as I believe, in the extreme imperfection of the geological record.
Charles Darwin
The Origin of Species
Chapter 9 - On the Imperfection of the Geological Record
Charles Darwin
The Origin of Species
Chapter 9 - On the Imperfection of the Geological Record
In the century and a half since Darwin, paleontologists have collected an immense array of transitional fossils that have resoundingly confirmed Darwin's ideas concerning evolution and common descent.
On the topic of transitional fossils, the latest issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach is now available for free online. It looks to be an invaluable resource for teachers and students wanting to dig deeper into the fossil evidence of evolution.
Here are direct links to just a few of the articles to get you started:
The Evolutionary Emergence of Vertebrates From Among Their Spineless Relatives
The Fish-Tetrapod Transition: New Fossils and Interpretations
Downsized Dinosaurs: The Evolutionary Transition to Modern Birds
From Land to Water: the Origin of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises
posted by Jeremy Mohn
