Origin of life researchers collected “new insights” from a new paper entitled “The origin of membrane biogenetics,” published in the December issue of the journal Cell. The media elevated the hype into an origin-of-life sea saga spectacle.
The journal Nature covered the paper in an article entitled “How life emerged from deep-sea rocks” by Ed Yong. The subtitle. “The origin of ion-pumping proteins could explain how life began in and escaped from undersea thermal vents,” seemed to seal the deal.
Charles Darwin‘s story of how the giraffe got its long neck is one of the most popular and widely-told stories in the history of evolution. At the center of the giraffe evolution story is the African okapi (pictured left).
The story begins with Darwin speculating on a transitional link. In The Origin of Species, Darwin wrote –
“It seems to me almost certain that an ordinary hoofed quadruped might be converted into a giraffe.”
Africa’s majestically bizarre leaf-eating giraffe once served as an elite status symbol. Even from early civilizations, images of the giraffe are etched and sketched into the rock all over Africa. Puzzling over how the giraffe got its long neck and gentle behavior, the giraffe was the prize of Kings.
In 46 BC, Julius Caesar brought the first giraffe into Europe. Seeming to blend the characteristics of the camel and leopard, the Romans named the giraffe a “cameleopard.” Caesar presented giraffes to lions in Roman arenas to shred and shock audiences.
Life originated in “a warm little pond,” Charles Darwinwrote to Joseph J. Hooker, the founder of geographical botany within Darwin’s circle of colleagues. How, where, and when the first species got started, however, completely escaped Darwin.
In contemplating the origin of life dilemma, Darwin noted in his autobiography –
“The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us, and I, for one, must be content to remain an agnostic.”
Darwin, Then and Now, the Most Amazing Story in the History of Science, chronicles Darwin's life, how he developed his hypothesis, specifically what he said, and what scientists have discovered since the publication of The Origin of Species in 1859.
The book traces the rise and fall of evolution's popularity as a scientifically valid theory. With over 1,000 references from Darwin and scientists, Darwin Then and Now retraces developments in the most amazing story in the history of science.
Darwin Then and Now is an educational resource focusing on understanding the intersection of evolution and science to develop basic skills for analyzing and assessing the theory of biological evolution.
Paleontologist Pascal Godefroit of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Belgium published a paper in Nature in January, challenging the current understanding of “the first bird.” In Liaoning Province of north-east China, Godefroit collaborated with a research team from the Jilin University Geological Museum, China, and found fossil evidence challenging the Archaeopteryx as “the first bird.” Archaeopteryx means the “ancient wing.”
Origin of life researchers collected “new insights” from a new paper entitled “
Charles Darwin
Africa’s majestically bizarre leaf-eating giraffe once served as an elite status symbol. Even from early civilizations, images of the giraffe are etched and sketched into the rock all over Africa. Puzzling over how the giraffe got its long neck and gentle behavior, the giraffe was the prize of Kings.
Life originated in “a warm little pond,” 