Darwin Day

Exactly one year shy of Charles Darwin's 200th birthday, scientists are looking ahead to the anniversary to call for renewed understanding of the scientist's powerful impact on Western civilization.

None of modern biology, no advances in medical research, nor success for the Human Genome Project, nor the achievements of biotechnology could exist today without the insights first advanced by that reclusive genius of the Victorian era, the scientists agree.

Now, a UC Berkeley paleontologist named Kevin Padian argues that the coming bicentennial is the ideal time "to reflect on just what constitutes Darwin's enduring greatness in Western thought."

And this week, the 199th anniversary of Darwin's birth on Feb. 12, 1809, hundreds of public meetings reflecting on his discoveries will be held at "Darwin Day" celebrations around the world.

In a seminal essay published in this week's issue of the international journal Nature, Padian says of the great Victorian scientist, explorer and meticulous researcher: "Perhaps no individual has had such a sweeping influence on so many facets of social and intellectual life" as Darwin.

Read the whole article by David Perlman in the SF Chronicle by clicking here.