Happy Origin Day!

Filed in National by on November 24, 2009

One hundred fifty years ago today Charles Darwin’s On The Origin of Species was published. It is arguably the most important scientific work ever published. It was the product of painstaking scientific observation. Darwin was not only a scientist’s scientist, he was a great writer and populizer of science. It’s amazing to consider that Origin was written before much was known about genetics – yet Darwin’s conclusions still stand up to scrutiny. Darwin revolutionized biology – all modern biology is based on the principles of evolution.

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Opinionated chemist, troublemaker, blogger on national and Delaware politics.

Comments (19)

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  1. cassandra_m says:

    The American Philosophical Society in Philly has a neat exhibition now of their Darwinania (largest collection outside of Cambridge) in celebration of this anniversary.

  2. nemski says:

    And on the heels of the Obama Administration’s focus on science and technology.

  3. liberalgeek says:

    AmPhilSoc is one of the coolest little museums I have ever seen. They own the original Lewis and Clark journals and I was able to see them once on a private tour. I suspect that the journals are loaned out at the moment, but the number of really unique artifacts that they have is great.

  4. G Rex says:

    I loved his cameo in Young Einstein.

  5. V says:

    suck it Kirk Cameron.

  6. Not–“It is arguably the most important scientific work ever published.”

  7. Thank you David, expert in all sorts of science. An expert on climate and biology, too! Wow! Can you point me to all your peer-reviewed scientific works? I’d love to see them.

  8. Apparently peer review work is meaningless when you can just make up the numbers for a pc cause like global warming.

  9. Geezer says:

    Once more you demonstrate your ignorance. Happy Thanksgiving. Stay away from the turkeys lest you’re mistaken for one.

  10. Great, let’s repeal all science! Please return any biological technology you’ve benefitted from in the last 150 years.

    Data doesn’t care what you believe. It’s happening whether you believe it or not.

    If you want to read what real scientists say about this pseudo-non-controversy, you can read this, or this, or this.

    BTW, thank you for dismissing the work of all scientists. Speaking as one, you stick your opinion where the Sun doesn’t shine. Show me real data and not political attacks.

  11. I forget that you only read the NYT which will publish national security secrets and Sarah Palin’s daughters cell phone number, but not hacked emails showing possible fraud among Nobel prize winning scientists. The entire fake consensus is based upon a lie. It is easy to guide the meek geeks looking for acceptance. The thousands of courageous scientists who have their own minds that challenged this nonsense will no longer be ignored. The establishment has been shown to be blind, agenda driven, and dishonest. Follow them at your peril. http://www.delawarepolitics.net/basis-for-global-warming-questioned-reports-found-incorrect/

  12. Darwin did not contribute to the advance in bio technology. It was happening before him and continued after him. He did nothing to advance our understanding of cells, very little for genetics, nothing for disease control. Worship if you must, but I decline to do so.

  13. Geezer says:

    So, in your scientific blindness, you find one possible glimmer of hope for your already-arrived-at position. And you dare attack scientists.

    No wonder you’re so religious. You’ll believe anything as long as it buttresses your primitive belief system.

  14. Geezer says:

    But he did everything to advance our understanding that there is no God. It’s not worship, it’s respect — a relationship too mature for the religious to understand.

  15. Even Darwin didn’t beleve that crap. This from a guy too stupid to defend his own country from a determined enemy who kills Americans every day.

  16. cassandra_m says:

    You are in no position to call anyone stupid, here, so quit it.

    You’ve read none of these books, you don’t understand the science or even the issues here but here you are repeating what other people have told you. People who have absolutely no investment in knowledge — just in blind obedience to some political counting coup. You really need to take this stupidity back to your own blog where no one knows any better. And where no one will notice your total lack of intellect.

  17. Geezer says:

    “a determined enemy who kills Americans every day”

    BUt wouldn’t if we would remove our troops from their countries. You can call my position a lot of things, but “stupid” isn’t on the list, because my position is not based on emotion. Yours is.

  18. I don’t read only the NYT. The links I provided are from scientists – one who wrote into the NYT. The link you provide is from your own blog. This whole climate non-controversy is silly. There is multiple data that shows the earth is warming, temperature measured in many different ways. Leave the tree ring data off it doesn’t change anything. It certainly doesn’t unmelt any glaciers.

    As far as Darwin – people don’t “worship” him. I realize you must be speaking in the way you understand things but that doesn’t make them true. What was so awesome about Darwin’s work was that it was the product of observation. He didn’t need the understanding of genetics (the how) to explain the observation. All subsequent discoveries have only strengthened evolutionary theory, not weakened it. Evolutionary theory is the basis of modern biology. Do you understand this? Modern biology would not exist without evolution.

    I’m not arrogant enough to think that I can dismiss a whole branch of science but I don’t have a wingnut mind. Please share with us your data about how biological changes occur without evolution. Let’s start simple – why do you need a new flu shot every year?

  19. a.price says:

    easy. because every year the gays and abortionists make god angrier. God THEN creates new illnesses to punish us. DUH, U.I dont you listen to the Fox News God Channel?