The displayed study of corals is a beautiful example of Darwin’s independent thinking. Throughout the journey, Darwin studied Charles Lyell’s work, Principles of Geology, which estimated the age of Earth at 240 million years based on studies on fossils of marine mollusks. The book and the man became a great influence on Darwin, who acknowledged this by dedicating the second edition of his Voyage of the Beagle to Lyell. However, Darwin did not agree with Lyell’s described hypothesis that corals formed only on the tops of submerged volcanic craters. As Lyells’s geology suggested that the Andes were sinking, Darwin reasoned that other parts of the planet must be rising. He hypothesized that corals formed in shallow waters around new islands or coasts of mainlands, which then began to sink. The new corals would grow on top of the reefs reaching for the sun. He predicted that while the old corals died in the darkness, the reef would have survived by maintaining itself near the water’s surface. This is a good example of Darwin learning to look at a planet that seemed stationary and see its dynamic history.

A reproduction of the first-known sketch by Charles Darwin of an evolutionary tree describing the relationships among groups of organisms.

by permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library

During the five years journey on the Beagle, Darwin saw evidence that Earth had undergone vast changes and that new species tended to appear where similar ones had previously lived. Upon reaching the Galápagos Islands, Darwin was presented with an astounding complexity of species, each island offering a different set of beings. Darwin noted that related species developed differently on these neighboring islands in accordance to their habitat. In fact, his research showed that the new species were better suited for the changing environment. The exhibit points out the origins of these ideas displaying examples of corresponding species.

Following his return to England, Darwin entered an interesting period of his life, challenging on both scientific and spiritual levels. I can only imagine his satisfaction when he could finally start to properly examine the specimens that he had been sending back to England throughout the voyage.
A critical breakthrough came in 1838 when Darwin read the Essay on Population (published in 1798 by Reverend Thomas Malthus), which challenged him to think of a competition in nature. Darwin began to consider the fact that more organisms came into the world than could survive. He hypothesized that the favorable variations would be those preserved, the idea which underlines Darwin’s suggested mechanism of evolution through natural selection.

Darwin had to grapple with personal controversies stirred by his own findings. Working and refining his theory in secret, in 1844 he wrote the first complete essay on natural selection, which he did not submit for publication. His idea that everything in nature can be accounted for as the result of natural processes governed by natural laws had great implications for religious beliefs. In a time when nothing was known about genetics or mutations, his idea was sure to seem preposterous and trigger great opposition. It is then understandable that in a displayed letter, written by Darwin in 1844, he said that beginning to write about his ideas was “like confessing a murder.” However, in another displayed letter he tells Emma (his wife) “publish if I die” and instructs her to use 500 pounds to cover the cost of publication, ensuring the survival of his discoveries.

From the numerous notebooks, letters, and stories on display, Darwin is portrayed as a gentle, humorous, and observant man, looking with passion and honesty at the diversity of life. Darwin respected people of all backgrounds. He often asked opinions, listened and evaluated various views with great interest. His advisers ranged from esteemed naturalists to gardeners, zookeepers, and even his hairdresser (a pigeon collector). An example is the displayed notes on a discussion with his hairdresser, whose observations he considered interesting and noteworthy. In this way, Darwin would put his theory to test without revealing what he was working on.

By 1856 Darwin had accumulated so much evidence for evolution that he restarted working on his essay from 1844. With encouragement from the few naturalists he trusted in, Darwin cautiously advanced towards a public affirmation of his findings. It is then understandable how shocked Darwin was when in 1858 he received a letter from Alfred Russel Wallace, who described his own similar ideas about evolution. Wallace, inspired by Darwin’s published tales of the Beagle voyage, had started his own study of evolution in Southeast Asia. A simultaneous publication of Darwin and Wallace’s main ideas at a scientific meeting was subsequently arranged. Darwin had to expedite the publication of his findings and generously shared some credit with Wallace. In his autobiography, Darwin stated that: “I gained much by the delay in publishing from about 1839, when the theory was clearly conceived, to 1859; and I lost nothing by it, for I cared very little whether men attributed most originality to me or Wallace; and his essay no doubt aided in the reception of the theory.”

Darwin’s main work, The Origin of Species, was published in 1859 in an edition of 1,250 copies, all of which were sold on the first day of publication. The book created the well-expected sensation, but most importantly has forever changed the way humanity perceives itself and its place in the universe. Some of these significant contributions of Darwin to evolutionary biology are 1) non-constancy of species, 2) branching evolution (in 1837 he was the first one to ever draw a tree of life implying the common descent of all species of living things from a single unique origin), 3) the concept of gradual evolution, and 4) the mechanism of evolution by means of natural selection. His work comprised the first great body of scientific evidence of evolution.

The exhibition presents few of the social reactions following Darwin’s The Origin, some of the most contemporary ones include the place of honor given by the British by placing Darwin on their 10 pound note, and the recent opinion poll showing that 57% of Americans lean towards creationism.

Several short movies and interacting screens tell the story of evolution, natural selection, and the impact on modern biology. Obviously aimed towards the recent disputes between evolution and religion, and in an attempt to reach a wider audience, a short film presents scientists talking about a marriage of the two, which seems almost out of context with the rest of the exhibition and gives the feeling of a ballet being danced around these controversies. Another concern is that the exhibition fails to place Darwin’s theory in the context of contemporary scientific studies of evolution (the evolution of evolution). As Stephen Jay Gould explained, biologists “always acknowledged how far we are from completely understanding the mechanisms (theory) by which evolution (fact) occurred.” While evolution is unanimously accepted by all scientists, the mechanisms by which evolution occurs still cause debates. The exhibit presents the theory as infallible, although Darwin himself refers to the natural selection as “no doubt, imperfect in its present condition, and embracing many errors,” inviting scientific thoughts and the evolution of his own ideas.

Overall, the exhibit is definitely worth a trip to the West Side. Even for those familiar in great detail with Darwin’s life and work, the exhibition will surely stir up discussions on a variety of subjects. Make sure to arrive well in advance of the closing time, since the tickets are sold on an hourly basis and tend to get sold out.

A trip to the museum is sure to remind you of the remarkable diversities and similarities of the world we live in. As Darwin watched his children from a fatherly, as well as a scientific perspective, he looked at evolution with his own eyes. This brings into mind the song immortalized by Louis Armstrong: “I hear babies cryin’, I watch them grow; they’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know; and I think to myself, what a wonderful world.” In this wonderful world, we all grow, develop, learn, and diversify through the process of evolution. Who better to summarize this than Darwin himself, through his own words from The Origin: “There is a grandeur in this view of life…whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved”².

References:

¹ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/20/wdarwin20.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/11/20/ixportal.html

² On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. C. Darwin (1859).

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