Wutog
How did Charles Darwin discover evolution?
Charles Darwin
Posts 1 - 16 of 16
replied to: Wutog
galaxaura
Replied to: How did Charles Darwin discover evolution?
It wasn't a single a single moment of insight. It took years of observation of subtle differences in adaptations in birds, insects, plants, and higher animals.
replied to: Wutog
giotto22
Replied to: It wasn't a single a single moment of insight. It...
Contrary to popular belief, he didn't discover natural selection while in the Galapagos Islands. He brought back countless specimens and it was only after years of study that he connected the dots
replied to: Wutog
cyclotreker
Replied to: It wasn't a single a single moment of insight. It...
He also learned much from selective breeding of livestock and dogs. Not sure how much it contributed to his discovery, but certainly he used it make his case afterwards
replied to: Wutog
desmonde
Replied to: How did Charles Darwin discover evolution?
Bird beaks seemed to play a pretty central role:
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2006/07/how-darwins-finches-got-their-beaks/
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2006/07/how-darwins-finches-got-their-beaks/
replied to: Wutog
aseforlife
Replied to: He also learned much from selective breeding of livestock and dogs....
Here's my question:
Why didn't someone think of evolution sooner? There were a lot of smart people before Darwin who must have made similar observations.
Why didn't someone think of evolution sooner? There were a lot of smart people before Darwin who must have made similar observations.
replied to: Wutog
swewing
Replied to: Here's my question:
Why didn't someone think of evolution sooner?...
Darwin had a few advantages. For one, the religious origins of the Earth and its species had fallen out of favor within much of the scientific community.
This freed the way to openly discuss and study alternate theories
This freed the way to openly discuss and study alternate theories
replied to: Wutog
ericfischer
Replied to: Darwin had a few advantages. For one, the religious origins...
Geology had already proved (or at least strongly suggested) that the Earth was much more than a few thousand years long before Darwin came along.
That's a another pretty big advantage that he had.
That's a another pretty big advantage that he had.
replied to: Wutog
morri
Replied to: Geology had already proved (or at least strongly suggested) that the...
Yeah, no way pre-Elightenment thinkers could ever have thought of millions of years of evolution being the explanation for our species if the common belief was that Earth was 4000 years old
replied to: Wutog
amorze
Replied to: Here's my question:
Why didn't someone think of evolution sooner?...
Yeah, it was pretty obvious. We sure look a lot like monkeys. I'm not sure if Aristotle or Plato ever saw one, though. So I guess you can give them that.
replied to: Wutog
crazyman2
Replied to: Yeah, it was pretty obvious. We sure look a lot...
I think it's pretty safe to say that they knew monkeys existed, though.
replied to: Wutog
wellis
Replied to: How did Charles Darwin discover evolution?
Man, not one person so far saying something like "It's just a theory. It's not science". Maybe society is growing up
replied to: Wutog
blockfrei
Replied to: Man, not one person so far saying something like "It's just...
You're living in a bubble, man. There are plenty of sites with quotes like that out there.
replied to: Wutog
bravotren
Replied to: Man, not one person so far saying something like "It's just...
It so happens that I am a total believer in evolution by natural selection, but it's not wrong to call it a theory. It is simply not something that can be proven.
replied to: Wutog
dbrunner
Replied to: It so happens that I am a total believer in evolution...
Depends on your definition of proof. It meets mine.
replied to: Wutog
coffeym
Replied to: It so happens that I am a total believer in evolution...
Just because you can't prove it with math or by seeing it happen in real time, doesn't mean it hasn't been proven.