Charles Darwin's Controversy Of The Theory Of Evolution

Charles Darwin (Sumber: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Today, November 24, more than a century ago or in 1859 the scientist Charles Darwin published his phenomenal work: On the Origin of Species. Darwin actually formulated a scientific work on the theory of evolution 14 years before it was published. However, he harbored his theory, waiting for the right time to be published, because it was considered contrary to religion.

In his theory, Darwin claimed that organisms evolved gradually by means of a process he called natural selection. In natural selection, organisms with genetic variations to suit their environment tend to reproduce offspring rather than organisms of the same species that do not have variations, thereby affecting the overall genetic makeup of the species.

Darwin was influenced by the work of the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck and the English economist Thomas Malthus. From them Darwin obtained most of the evidence for his theory during a five-year expeditionary survey on board the HMS Beagle in the 1830s.

He visited places such as the Galapagos Islands and New Zealand, and gained in-depth knowledge of the flora, fauna and geology of many countries. This information, together with his studies of variation and interbreeding upon his return to England, proved invaluable in the development of his theory of organic evolution.

Quoting History, the idea of organic evolution is not new. Previously Darwin's grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, a prominent British scientist, and Lamarck, had revealed in the early 19th century the description of the first diagram of evolution, the ladder leading from single-celled organisms to humans. However, it was only after Darwin that science provided a practical explanation for the phenomenon of evolution.

Darwin had formulated his theory of natural selection in 1844, but he was careful to make his thesis public because it contradicted the biblical account of creation. It was only in 1858 that the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace independently published a paper summarizing Darwin's theory.

It was only afterwards that Darwin and Wallace gave a joint lecture on evolution at the Linnean Society of London in July 1858. At that time Darwin prepared a work entitled On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection for publication.

Paper On the Origin of Species (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Published on November 24, 1859, On the Origin of Species sold out immediately. Most scientists quickly embraced a theory that solved so many of the riddles of biology, but orthodox Christians condemned it as "never being taught." The controversy over Darwin's ideas was deepened with the publication of The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871), in which he presented evidence of human evolution from apes.

After his death in 1882, his theory of evolution finally gained general recognition. In honor of his scholarly work, he was buried in Westminster Abbey next to kings, queens and other famous figures from British history. Subsequent developments in genetics and molecular biology led to modifications in the accepted theory of evolution, but Darwin's ideas remained at the heart of the field.

Natural selection theory

Evolution by natural selection is one of the best substantiated theories in the history of science, supported by evidence from a wide variety of disciplines, including paleontology, geology, genetics, and developmental biology.

The theory has two main points, says Brian Richmond, curator of human origins at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. "All life on Earth is connected and related to one another," and this diversity of life is a product of "population modification through natural selection, in which some traits are preferred in nature and the environment over others," he said.

Meanwhile Darwin theorized that natural selection could cause land mammals to turn into whales. As a hypothetical example, Darwin used North American black bears, which were known to catch insects by swimming in water with their mouths open.

"I don't see any difficulty in changing bears, through natural selection, their structures and habits are more aquatic, with bigger mouths, until the creatures become as terrifying as whales," said Darwin.

The idea was not well received by the public. Darwin was so embarrassed by the ridicule he received that the swimming bear quote was deleted in later editions of the book.

Quoting Live Science, Scientists now know that Darwin had the right idea but the wrong animal. Instead of bears, he should research cows and hippos. The story of the origin of whales is one of the most interesting stories of evolution and one of the best examples scientists have of natural selection.

Although scientists can predict what ancient whales would look like, they have no fossil evidence to back up their claims. The absence of these fossil whales is evidence that evolution did not occur. They scoffed at Darwin's idea of a walking whale.

Important evidence came in 1994, when paleontologists discovered the fossil remains of Ambulocetus natans, an animal whose name literally means "walking-walking whale." Its forelegs have small fingers and nails but the hind legs are very large. It was clearly adapted for swimming, but it was also capable of moving on land, like a seal.

When swimming, the ancient creature moved like a beaver, pushing its body with its hind legs and shaking its spine and tail. While modern whales propel themselves through the water with a powerful knock with their tails, Ambulocetus still has a tail like a whip and must use its legs to provide most of the propulsion needed to move through the water.

In recent years, an increasing number of these transitional species, or "missing links," have been discovered. This certainly strengthens Darwin's theory.