The purpose of this paper is to review the article, “Was Darwin Wrong?”, by David Quammen (2004) and to offer some discussion at the end of the paper. The main thrust of the Quammen’s article is to provide a description of the current and past evidence that supports Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection. With a few exceptions, the title of the article is answered with a firm “no, Darwin was right.”
Quammen first began with a discussion of the concept of theory and explained that a theory is an explanation for a set of circumstances that fits the evidence. The explanation has been confirmed through observation and the experimentation to the extent that it has been accepted as being the best explanation for a particular view of reality (5). The theory of evolution by natural selection conflicts with well-established religious explanations for the appearance of humans on earth. The religious explanations have a strong hold on the worldview of almost half the American population. Quammen quoted a poll that found that in 2001, 45% of American believed that God created humans in more or less the same biological state as they are today (5). Despite scientific evidence to the contrary, the portion of the American population that do not believe in evolution through natural selection has remained about the same since the early 1980s (5). Quammen suggested that part of the reason for the reluctance to accept the theory of evolution through natural selection is largely a matter of not understanding the theory (5).
Although the idea of evolution was in circulation long before Darwin, for example Jean-Batiste Lemarack, Darwin was the first to provide a rational explanation for the mechanisms behind evolution (6). Alfred Russel Wallace had come up with the same explanation at the same time. Anagenesis is the explanation for how a species changes through time whereas speciation is the process by which a single species can become two species through an accumulation of evolutionary changes (6). The argument for anagenesis is based on the notion that small and inheritable changes within an individual can alter that individual’s ability to produce offspring that have inherited the characteristic. Over time, inheritable characteristics that have a positive influence on reproduction proliferate and negative influences will die out. Speciation is the process whereby an isolated population of a species has inherited an accumulation of evolutionary changes that allow it to adapt to a specific niche. After time, the changes become so great that the isolated population can no longer interbreed with others of the main population. At this point, the isolated population is regarded as a different species (6).
After 22 years of observation and the collection of evidence, Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859. Most of the evidence Darwin gathered to support his theory of evolution through natural selection was derived from four fields: palenontology, morphology, biogeography, and embryology (Quamen 6). The evidence gleaned from the area of biogeography was in the distribution pattern of “closely-allied” species, or species that have related body types. Closely allied species are generally found on the same continent. The question was — why would species be distributed according to a body type rather than a specific habitat? Darwin concluded that the distribution pattern was the result of the species being descended from common ancestors (Quammen 7).
Information from the field of paleontology revealed the same pattern. Species that are related to each other are distributed in a column of geological strata, the oldest one beneath the more recent species. Although there be some breaks in continuity due to geological forces throughout the ages, fossils of species that lived earlier would be deposited in the earth at a deeper depth. Quammen used the example of the development of the horse (7). Similar to the evidence from biogeography, Darwin argued that the pattern of distribution of related fossils was the result of their being descended from common ancestors.
Darwin concluded that all species can be readily sorted into categories according to morphology, for example, animals with backbones (vertebrates). Vertebrates can be further divided into categories based on additional sets of similarities, for examples those with mammary glands or mammals. Quarrem referred to the organization by similarities in anatomy as a “pattern of tiered resemblances” (7). Darwin argued that the pattern of tiered morphological resemblances did not occur among other assemblages, for example a collection of rocks, and therefore was evidence of descent from a common ancestor.
Embryology also exhibits a pattern that is most easily explained by Darwin’s theory. An embryo passes through stages that do not anticipate the adult form. The example provided by Quarrem was that the larval stages of beetles, moths, and flies resemble each other more closely than they resemble their adult forms (7). The evolutionary explanation from this pattern of embryo stages is that the embryo is reflecting the history of its ancestry. Quarrem ended his description of the evidence for Darwin’s theory of evolution though natural selection by stating that current research in palenontology, morphology, biogeography, and embryology, continued to support Darwin’s theory and indicated that it is still the best explanation for the diversity and similarities of species and their origins. In addition, recent advances in biochemistry and in the new fields of population genetics, molecular biology, and genetic sequences, provide further support for Darwin’s theory. To demonstrate his point, Quarrem singled out the investigations with the Human Genome Project that found that 99% of 30,000 mouse genes have human counterparts (8).
Quarrem continued with a discussion of drug-resistant microbes that cause infectious diseases and how they have become a major problem in modern medicine. Quarrem indicated that the proliferation of these infectious microbes can only be understood, and presumably only combatted, with an understanding of Darwin’s theory of evolution (8). For example, the steps taken to treat the mutating viruses that cause HIV and AIDS were based on knowledge of how these viruses evolved. The article concluded with a description of the research that is being done now that adds to Darwin’s original theory. Quarrem discussed the new ideas on the evolution of the whale that have come about with the discovery of more fossils (9). The recently discovered fossils were providing a more complete picture of evolutionary sequence of whale species that exist today.
Quarrem presented a compelling argument for the acceptance of Darwin’s theory of evolution, and how recent discoveries continue to be integrated into the growing evidence in favour of the theory. Quarrem does not include any evidence outside religious texts that could conceivably falsify the theory of evolution. A theory is merely a model and not the reality. If investigators continue to use Darwin’s model to formulate their research and frame their explanations, the less chance that an alternative explanation of the diversity of life will come to light. For example, the chances of a fossil being preserved are miniscule and therefore the fossil record is by no means complete. The domination of Darwin’s theory of evolution will encourage the discarding of any evidence that does not fit the accepted doctrine.
Works Cited
Quammen, David. “Was Darwin Wrong?” National Geographic November (2004): 5-10.
