Lecture 10: The Origin of Species PDF

Lecture 10: The Origin of Species (a famous book written by Darwin) ● Charles Darwin grew his big beard in 1862 ● 1859 - The book was published in 1859 ● He created 6 versions of the book ● The 5th version of the book he included “ Survival of the fittest ” was coined by Herbert Spencer. ● He prefe...

Lecture 10: The Origin of Species (a famous book written by Darwin) ● Charles Darwin grew his big beard in 1862 ● 1859 - The book was published in 1859 ● He created 6 versions of the book ● The 5th version of the book he included “ Survival of the fittest ” was coined by Herbert Spencer. ● He preferred “ Natural preservation ” over “ Survival of the fittest ” ● The book was about living things, life on earth, where did the things come from, what was their origin of species, where are there different kinds of living things? ● He wants to convince his reader that his theory of evolution can explain a wide range of phenomena that could otherwise be inexplicable, and his theory was lanced with Lyell’s Gradualism that everything happens slowly through natural forces. ● The book does not address the origin of humans or gods, religion or creation. It addresses all species but is not directed to humans. It does imply laws of nature selection Chapter 1 : Variation under domestication ● The big book is being compressed into the origin of species, which was never written ● Living things all vary from little things, it is ubiquitous. (ever-present) Because of that it has profound consequences ● He purchased different breeds of pigeon, going part of London to converse with rich men to ask them how they create different breed ● Breeding (artificial selection) applies to natural selection ● People made this by choosing little variation, choosing the feature that makes it stand out ● Strawberry, ancon sheep, polish fowl are examples of artificial selection ● There is no clear distinction between species and variation ● ● The tree of life is the only sketch in the book, which many people tattoo on their body ○ ● Chapter 11: Struggle for existence ● The things that survive probably have characteristics that are very survival. Which will be inherited from his offspring. I have called this slight variation, called nature selection ● Some people describe Darwin to be quiet dark but it is because of his observation to his surrounding ● ● Chapter V1: Difficulties in theory ● How could huge changes ever begin? They seem so different from the ancestor ● No direction or tendency ( relative ) ● The vertebrate 4 legs animal, inherited this characteristic of long and was descended from his offspring ● He did something that most authors do not, which is calling difficulties on his theory ● Chapter IV: Natural selection ● Often misquoted, incomplete quote “ That the eye.. Could have been formed by natural selection, seems “ Which people thought that it implies that god could be behind this design.Which this quote continue, with numerous gradation from a perfect and complex eye to very imperfect…… for example; flatform with bad eyes ● Why are not all features adaptive? Why does a bee die after stinging? Which pulls their guts out? Some people think it is not a very good design. Which is was origin was to do egg composting ● Character that was formerly useful is not useful now ( vestigial organs ) Chapter IX : On the imperfection of the geological record - The fossil record is even more fragmentary than we realised - The shell was an incomplete record, which seemed like a sudden appearance of a group of species thus explained. Chapter X: On the geological succession of organic beinon - The succession of the same families within the same area was explained - The surface of our earth, in the past people think that god create them - The things that are distributed make sense, like amphibians and oceanic islands because there are no natural ways for them to get there. Because frogs will die when in contact in salt water Embryology: Shows similarities between different species, because they are descended from a common ancestor. Which diverge after they grown, for example human has a tail ( cold ) Vestigial organ: left over from ancestor., like the sea cows which has nails, like the bird who cannot fly, like pelvis in whales, pelvic spurs in boas Homology: Same form, same structure from different species like our hands bone All this reveals the law of nature. Ernst Haekel : tree of life from the evolution of man ● The traditional idea of human beings being the pinnacle of species as it was drawn here by Darwin’s follower 🡪 anti-Darwin. ● Incorrect representation of Darwin’s theory. o Exaggerated o Evolution is not a progress but a process of how things change (no direction also) ● This is different from what Darwin is saying, Darwin says that living things have evolved for the same period of time, so no species should be higher than the other unlike what the tree above is showing. ● Things have different pathways but everything living today is at the same stage. ● There is no direction or “higher and better” of the evolutionary progress – change, not progress! ● There is no inherent tendency for things to be more complex – rather, things change in response to the environment Conclusion to Darwin’s Lecture 11: Reception of the origin of species. A conflict of Science and religion? Reception of darwin ; the origin of species ● Conventional idea: The book caused a huge uproar in the conflict with religion and science ● In this case, it did. There was a lot of debate in this book however whether their religion is true or not. It wasn’t really an issue when it came to this proposal. ● It was more about For people who first read this book, this is a radical idea. Is the evidence enough? ● Often reported “The book sold out on the first day Negative reaction Positive reaction Swiss Born Geologist - Louis Agassiz Darwin’s friend and follow Professor Thomas Henry Huxley - Darwin book was not only wrong but it was dangerous - Every publication that includes - Bishop of oxford - Samuel Wilberforce - Wrote an anonymous review Took the moral high ground to dismiss the book Phrenologist and botanist H.C. watson - Review - Fleeming Jenkin ( 1867 ) ● Most powerful negative review 🡪 evolution would not work ● Scottish Engineer. ● Imaginary story that Jenkin told (very racist): if you have an island full of black people, and there is a young white person. If you come back a few years later, the white person would have blended well with the black people. 🡪 blended theory ● His point: blending inheritance argument ● Counter: 6 fingered person (hexadactyly) marry 5 fingered. henry name includes “Darwin bulldog is his nickname ” which is False, during his life time it did not occurred one He wrote a review on the most prestigious newspaper publication. During this time, huxley does not agree 100%, instead this is a fair case Wrote to darwin “ You leading idea will be recognised as an establish truth in science ” Very positive, people reaction correlate with their views He was on the people who already agree about evolution Charles Kingley - Famous author, a clergyman Wrote to darwin Darwin Took a quote, quoted it in his 2nd edition to show that it is safe for people to read because a priest supported his theory offspring? Cannot be 5.5 finger but either 5 or 6. ● Variation is everywhere spontaneous variations are constantly appearing, not a one-off thing ● DNA cannot be explained ASA GRAY - American Botanist & a Prof at Harvard - Doesnt completely agree He doesnt like natural selection, he was a religious man HE want some room in the theory for divine intervention, variation happen because of god Darwin says that variation occur and are filter through natural selection ( Not random ) - Oxford University Museum - 1860 ( Most famous event ) ● Known as the event of the CRASH BETWEEN SAMUEL WILBERFORCE & THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY ● The main event of the reception of darwin’s theory ● MYTH : In the past, a bishop was known as a religious or an upper class person that when you talk back to them people might feel shocked this caused people to faint. ● MYTH BUSTED : It was because the room was very hot ● Wilberforce said, does professor claim that is it through your mum or your grandparents that we are descended from an ape ● Huxley said, “ I say i rather be descended from an ape than a man who abuses his position to bring radical idea into a scientific discussion ” ● Fitzroy did stand up and hold his bible in the hand. ● He regretted his role in playing a part in charles darwin theory evolution because he came out with such an opposing view JOSEPH dalton HOOKER - wrote to darwin and said he was the hero in the event but actual fact is that he didn't said anything ● Many young liberal anglicanism wrote a book on ( ESSAY AND REVIEWS ) which was more controversial than darwin book ● Their approach was to rewrite the bible thus this is more popular than darwin theory of evolution Supported his evidence : HENRY WALTER BATES - Mimicry ( 1863 ) ● ● ● ● ● ● Butterflies that look very similar but absolutely not related. AN ANT ON THE COVER AND OTHER SIDE IS MOCKINGBIRDS These butterflies taste disgusting; birds don’t want eat them. And there are colourful Colorizations tell others do not eat them. Birds not eating those that look like nasty tasting ones He found butterflies that were completely different species but looks like these nasty tasting butterflies. ● The way to explain how these unrelated become identical. Those who look nasty tend to survive more. ● Overtime, natural selection, the butterflies look more and more like the nasty looking butterflies. They only occur within the same area and not anywhere else. (poisonous and non-poisonous found same place) Oldest fossil feather - ( 1860 ) Archaeopteryx ( 1861 - 1863 ) ● 70 million over years ● Found that birds are dinosaur ● A whole family did not died out. One of the family of dinosaur still exist, birds are dinosaur ● Latest finding that - dinosaur was covered with feathers , feathers came out before it came with flight ● The bird has dinosaur teeth, feathers and a long bony tail like a reptile ● Darwin predicted that fossils will be found that will fill the gap between groups we know ● Nowadays when scientist talk about dinosaur extinction they would say non-avian ( all dinosaur but not bird ) Paul Du Chailu : Explorations and adventure in africa A gorilla - was first seen. ● Paul Du Chaillu – American, publicised this book ○ Implications that human beings are descended from other species ● A lot of the stories told too good to be true. ○ Women married Gorilla and died at childbirth, child was hairy 🡪 stuff body into hair to carry on legacy ● This picture, plagiarised. Charles Darwin’s 1859 book On the Origin of Species and the explorer Paul Du Chaillu’s almost simultaneous encounters with gorillas in West Africa focussed popular fears about evolution. Gorillas were a frightening suggestion that apes and humans were related Richard Owen - - Huxley Thought that he was the biggest name in science Darwin characteristic Owen that Owen was one of the one who does not believe in Evolution, Owen was offended - First book of human evolution Man’s place in nature ( 1863 ) On the classification and Geographical distribution of mammals He category human as a special category Huxley proved that Owen use old brain - Human and animal The brain and the chimpanzee has the most human like brain in the worth The great hippocampus Question ● Kingsley wrote Water Babies. Popular children book. ● He mentioned the great hippopotamus test. (animal not the above**) ● Kingsley supported Darwin’s theory, included Darwin’s theory into his book Charles Lyell's Geological evidences of the antiquity of man (1863) 🡪 how long human beings been on earth ● Do not know how long yet due to no geological records ● For Lyell, his most radical book ever. ● Darwin deeply disappointed. Friend and old mentor Lyell did not come to his side, find it difficult to accept Darwin’s theory o Uncomfortable that humans descended from animals ● Lyell made it as though the issue still open ended. He spent his whole life arguing against evolution. ● Mentioned that humans are a proper subject of scientific study (separate from nature) ● Surveyed discoveries of early man, archaeological evidence, in the Paleolithic (Pleistocene) (Paleolithic, stone hand axe) ● Privately, he would agree with Darwin. But not in print. The gradual evolution of the horse (1870s) 🡪 for darwin ● A series of horse fossils found in America how a modern horse has evolved from the size of a dog. ● An obvious series of fossils show gradual change. o Legs changed 🡪 got bigger, more specialised for running ● Evidence of how fossil is complete enough to show change By 1869, ten years after Origin of species was published, things had changed ● 1 thing undeniable – Opinion of naturalists have changed. ● Reflected in the way Darwin spoke in the different editions of his book, 3rd edition in 1861 to 5th edition in 1869 ● Origin of species, 3rd edition, 1861. o “The great majority of naturalists believe that species are immutable productions and have been separately created.” ● Origin of species, 5th edition, 1869. o “Until recently the great majority of naturalists believed that species were immutable productions and had been separately created.” ● ^CONTEXT CHANGED, people changed opinions ● The scientific debate of whether evolution happen or not ended in 1870. Accepted as a scientific fact. Has not been controversial in the scientific community. o Common descent with modification.. BUT…not natural selection ● Natural selection – seemed too random, or do not allow divine intervention, not as widely accepted. o Some say natural selection is just Victorian social values applied to nature (competition), not true. (competition etc, put social causes) 🡪 economical etc o But if natural selection reflects social values, why is it not really accepted at that time The popular science writer Grant Allen wrote in The Academy (1882): ● By the time Darwin died in 1882. Most famous and respected ● What is written on his obituaries gave Darwin high praise, reverence. ● “In 1859, the Origin of Species at last appeared, under what circumstances all the world knows. It was nothing less than a revolution… the influence of his thought upon the thought of the age has far outweighed any influence ever before exerted by a single man during his own lifetime. He has revolutionised, not biology alone, but all science; not science alone, but all philosophy; not philosophy alone, but human life. Man, his origin and nature, his future hopes and realisable ideals, all seem something different to the present generation from their seeming to the generations that lie behind us in the field of time.” Wallace, Darwinism (1889) ● Darwin worked on his theory for so many years. He has moved far beyond the scientific community of his day. ● Darwin realised his theory as a young man and worked on it for the next 20 years. By the time he published, his arguments become convincing.