165th Anniversary of Charles Darwin’s Monumental Publication : On the Origin of Species.

This day, 24th November 2024, we commemorate the 165th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s monumental publication, On the Origin of Species, which was published on 24 April, 1859, based on his ground breaking research following a five year expedition on board the HMS Beagle five year voyage between 1831 to 36, the experience and findings of which Darwin used to publish his book under the title On the Origin of Species. Darwin was fifty when he published his findings. Darwin was precocious child with an extraordinary interest for reading and desire for exploration. He briefly studied medicine and then theology, before charting a path for himself to be as a geologist, naturalist and a scientist par excellence whose findings on the origin of species by natural selection has etched his name eternally in history. 

 Charles Darwin was born on 12 February 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. His interest in exploration motivated him to take up a challenging job as an unpaid naturalist on a science expedition on board the HMS Beagle. To his luck, the Beagle expedition was headed by captain, Robert FitzRoy, who wanted an enthusiastic and well-trained gentleman naturalist to join him on the Beagle’s second surveying expedition. Incidentally, Captain FritzRoy, had just completed a brief voyage on HMS Beagle and was back.

 HNS Beagle was commissioned to serve as a survey ship that was tasked ‘to survey Magellan’s Streights’. It took to the seas in May 1826 until returning back to the base on October 1830. Unfortunately, the Ships original Captain who had set sail in 1826, died by suicide on the seas in 1828 and therefore a new Captain of the Ship, Captain Robert FitzRoy, was appointed to command the ship, which was left headless. Notwithstanding the death of the commander of the Ship, the voyage and the survey continued under the command of its new captain until returning back to the base in 1830. 

 The success of the first edition of exploration by HNS Beagle helped it to undertake even more serious and challenging task, with necessary refitting of the ship. In 1831 HNS Beagle set sail on its most famous voyage to survey the South American coast and the Galapagos Islands. This expedition was to last for five years before returning back to England via New Zealand in 1836. It was on this voyage that Darwin set foot on the voyage as a young naturalist who would work under the command of Captain of the Ship FitzRoy.

 Captain FitzRoy, assigned the task of exploring the inland to his young naturalist, Darwin, so that this could help in understanding the geological changes that had happened over millennia. It helped Darwin to explore the Islands, even as the Beagle continued to survey the coasts. Darwin used this opportunity to study various plants and animals, collecting specimens for further analysis. In South America, Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that were similar to modern species. It was on the Galapagos Island that Darwin observed many variations of plants and animals that were similar to those he found in South America, suggesting that species adapted over time and to their environment. He collected plants, animals, and fossils, taking diligent field notes on many of his observations. His examination of finches on the Galápagos Islands (off the coast of Ecuador) led him to develop his ideas on evolution by natural selection.

 This experience and his findings and collection of samples and his own well documented drawings in his note books would later help him in the development of his theory of evolution by natural selection, which he finally published in 1859 as a book under the titled “On the Origin of Species”. His findings helped in the understanding of evolution and how species evolve over long period of time, which he later described as natural selection in his revised edition of the book published under the title “ On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection. Incidentally, in the Hall of Evolution, an exhibition at the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, there is a large exhibit with the scaled down replica model of HNS Beagle and a virtual book of Darwin, whose pages can be flipped by the visitor. There are also models of the finches of the birds which the visitor can feel and so also the drawings and sketches of Darwin from his nite books. This gallery was developed in 2016, when I served as the Director of this centre. 

 Darwin’s works reshaped our understanding of the diversity of life on Earth. However, within the brilliance of Darwin's ideas, a notable controversy emerged on his erroneous assumption of blended inheritance, which was later proved to be a blunder in the journey of evolutionary biology. The key contributions of Darwin’s book included his thesis which proposed the concept of natural selection as the driving force behind the gradual change in species over time. This laid the groundwork for the theory of evolution, challenging prevailing beliefs about the fixity of species. Darwin’s book explains how species evolve through the differential survival and reproduction of individuals with advantageous traits, leading to the adaptation of populations to their environments. Darwin presented compelling evidence from the fossil records and biogeography, supporting his theory by demonstrating the gradual changes in species over geological time and the distribution of species across different regions.

 "On the Origin of Species" sparked intense debates, not only within the scientific community but also in wider society. It influenced fields beyond biology, including philosophy, theology, and ethics, challenging prevailing worldview. 

 While Darwin's contributions to evolutionary theory are monumental, his assumption of blended inheritance reflects the limitations of scientific knowledge in his time. Darwin's assumption of blended inheritance was a logical extension of the scientific understanding of heredity in the mid-19th century. However, subsequent advancements in genetics, particularly the works of Gregor Mendel - which Darwin did not have an opportunity to read and understand - revealed the flaw in the assumptions of Darwin. The scientific logic behind genetic inheritance was first discovered by Gregor Mendel in the 1850s before the publication of the works of Darwin. Mendel experimented on pea plants and recorded how traits get passed down from generation to generation. He noticed that offspring weren’t simply a “blend” of their two parents, as falsely assumed by Darwin. 

 Darwin's failure or oversight in assuming blended inheritance does not diminish the overall significance of his work. It underscores the reality that failures are an integral part of everyone's lives including Darwin and this must be strongly communicated to our youngsters. Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" remains a foundational text in evolutionary biology, challenging and reshaping our understanding of life's diversity. While one can now say in hindsight that Darwin failed by falsely assuming blended inheritance, however, his mistake must serve as a reminder that failures are an integral part of our lives and we must teach our youngsters that failures are inevitable and that we only need course corrections as we move on with life and not be afraid of such failures. 

 Charles Darwin was not the first to propose a theory of evolution but his work had a great impact on society at the time. While other thinkers used his research to support their various (often opposing) views and ideas, Darwin avoided talking about the theological and sociological aspects of his work. He continued to write on botany, geology and zoology until his death on 19 April 1882. He is buried in Westminster Abbey, London. 

 Images : Courtesy Wikipedia