Charles Darwin

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Scientists Unearth Fossils of 'Missing Link' Flying Reptiles

Researchers believe Darwinopterus is proof of modular evolution

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered the remains of a flying reptile in China that they believe represents the "missing link" in a controversial theory of evolution. The reptile—named Darwinopterus in honor of Charles Darwin—lived some 160 million years ago and has features from both early, short-tailed pterodactyls and their...

Religious America Snubs Darwin Film: Producer

Brits 'can't imagine religion in America': Jeremy Thomas

(Newser) - The producer of a new film about Charles Darwin says he hasn't landed a US distribution deal because Americans can't stand the theory of evolution, the Daily Mail reports. Creation, the story of Darwin's struggle between reason and faith as he wrote The Origin of Species, has opened the Toronto...

Image Rehab: Appendix Is Good for Something After All

Long-neglected organ is far from useless, researchers say

(Newser) - The human appendix has been assumed to be useless since Charles Darwin first suggested it was a vestigial organ—an evolutionary remnant from the time when our predecessors ate leaves and other now-indigestible foods. But new research suggests the organ had a much more vital function, LiveScience reports. It stored...

Mosquito Invasion Threatens Galapagos Wildlife

(Newser) - Scientists fear that winged invaders could wipe out native species on the islands where Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution, the Times of London reports. Mosquitoes have been hitching rides to the Galapagos on incoming aircraft, and now Galapagos species—including iguanas, tortoises, and Darwin's finches—are in serious...

Climate Change Already Causing Evolution

(Newser) - Global warming is changing the face of the planet, and a key panel estimates that a quarter of the world's species will die out—but a few organisms are already evolving to survive in a hotter world. In the past few years Scottish sheep have become smaller, while species of...

Fossil of 'Missing Link' Walking Seal Found

Arctic creature's existence was predicted by Charles Darwin

(Newser) - The fossil of a semi-aquatic creature unearthed in northern Canada may hold the key to how seals and walruses evolved, the BBC reports. The carnivore—which resembles a cross between an otter and a seal—had feet that were webbed but weren't flippers. Scientists believe the animals walked on land...

Egg From Darwin Voyage Comes to Light

Naturalist signed—and cracked—relic from Beagle excursion

(Newser) - The only egg known to have survived from Charles Darwin's round-the-world voyage on the Beagle has surfaced in Cambridge University's zoology museum, the BBC reports. A volunteer sorting through the museum's vast egg collection found the egg—from an ostrich-like bird in Uruguay—and realized it bore the naturalist's signature....

Usefulness Keeps Left-Handed Trait Alive: Study

(Newser) - Left-handedness seems to have avoided the fate of similarly rare genetic traits—that is, extinction—because it’s so useful, a study finds. For instance, left-handers in earlier times had the advantage of surprise in fights with right-handers, AFP reports; they often used both hands well, while righties were overly...

Darwin Skeptics Separate Mind From Gray Matter

Debate focuses on whether the brain and mind function in tandem

(Newser) - To undermine Darwinian theories about the emergence of life, skeptics have a new weapon in mind: the brain, NPR reports. They’re challenging the notion that a cluster of cells could produce such high-level mental processes as consciousness and free will. “It doesn’t hang together,” says one...

Child's Death Pushed Darwin to Share Work

Biographers think Annie's passing emboldened naturalist

(Newser) - In honor of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday, NPR takes a look at a lingering mystery: Why did the naturalist, who most likely came up with the idea of evolution around the age of 30, not publish his theory for another 21 years? Some say he was trying to gather...

Vatican Makes Peace With Darwin
Vatican Makes Peace With Darwin
Feb 11, 2009 5:13 AM CST

Vatican Makes Peace With Darwin

Church officials now say evolution theory fits with beliefs

(Newser) - The Vatican is clarifying that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is compatible with its doctrine after all, the Times of London reports. The Church never officially condemned Darwin, but his views have been controversial with some because they present a radically different image of the origins of species than what's...

Plagiarism Case Evolves Against Darwin

Analysts spark furor by saying he stole theory of evolution

(Newser) - As Darwin fans gear up for the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species, some analysts are calling the renowned naturalist a cheat, the Wall Street Journal reports. Alfred Russel Wallace is widely considered the co-founder of evolutionary theory, but some revisionists say Darwin cribbed the notion from Wallace....

The Best All-Time Beards
 The Best All-Time Beards 
Nov 15, 2008 6:49 PM CST

The Best All-Time Beards

These guys have the most notable chin hairs in history

(Newser) - To celebrate the public premiere of Charles Darwin's beard (or at least hair from it his great, great grandson found in a small leather box) at the British Natural History Museum, the London Times lists the best all-time chin hairs:
  1. Karl Marx. The collapse of the Soviet Union may have
...

Princeton Team Adds Twist to Darwin's Theory

It's not random, they say: Organisms can control own evolution

(Newser) - Princeton scientists say they have found evidence that organisms can essentially control their own evolution, a finding that could provide a fundamental shift in our understanding of Darwin's theory, reports the university's news service. The research suggests that evolution isn't entirely random, as Darwin believed. Rather, proteins within organisms constantly...

Anglicans Making Nice With Darwin
Anglicans Making Nice With Darwin
Sep 15, 2008 12:04 PM CDT

Anglicans Making Nice With Darwin

Church's essay series aims to repair evolutionist's reputation

(Newser) - When Charles Darwin came out with his theory of evolution by natural selection nearly 150 years ago, the Church of England opposed it. But now, 200 years after the celebrated scientist's birth, the church has launched a website exploring its history with Darwin, and the church's head of public affairs...

Anti-Evolution Groups Change Texas Tactics

Curriculum may allow for Darwin's 'strengths and weaknesses'

(Newser) - Evolution opponents are adapting. Now that “intelligent design” and “creation science” have failed in court, the new catch phrase, the New York Times reports, is “strengths and weaknesses.” It might seem innocuous, but critics say it’s yet another tactic to undermine the teaching of evolution...

Darwin's Papers Now Online
Darwin's Papers Now Online
Apr 17, 2008 4:48 PM CDT

Darwin's Papers Now Online

Once-private drafts, notes and even recipes of evolutionary scientist are free to public

(Newser) - A vast collection of the papers of Charles Darwin is now online, providing public access to volumes once restricted to Cambridge scholars, the BBC reports. 20,000 items are available, including the first draft of his seminal book on evolution, travel notes and personal pieces such as family recipes, Reuters...

Cancer Can Be Contagious
 Cancer Can
 Be Contagious 
Apr 6, 2008 8:31 PM CDT

Cancer Can Be Contagious

Tasmanian Devils transmit it by biting, dogs with sex

(Newser) - Contrary to long-held opinion, cancer can be contagious—and Darwin is to blame, a science reporter told NPR. It turns out cancer cells evolve as species do, and in some rare cases—a cancer affecting Tasmanian devils, two others in dogs and hamsters—the cancers have evolved to allow direct...

7 Celebs Who Married Cousins
7 Celebs Who Married Cousins
Dec 11, 2007 5:54 PM CST

7 Celebs Who Married Cousins

Bach, Rudy, Einstein all kept it in the family

(Newser) - These seven celebrities looked no further than their own family tree for a bride, Mental Floss reports—they married their cousins:
  1. Johann Sebastian Bach: Had 7 of his 20 children with Maria.
  2. Edgar Allen Poe: Fell for Virginia when she was 7; they wed when she was 13.
  3. Jerry Lee
...

Walter Mosley's Top Literary Picks
Walter Mosley's Top Literary Picks
Nov 6, 2007 4:10 PM CST

Walter Mosley's Top Literary Picks

Devil in a Blue Dress author selects five most influential books

(Newser) - Walter Mosley has won accolades from readers and critics alike for his Easy Rawlins detective series, and the novelist has a philosophical side, too. Newsweek presents his list of important works that "most greatly impacted the intelligence, potential and humanity of the people of the world."
  1. The Theory
...

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