The Darwin Day is celebrated every year on the birth anniversary of the Father of Evolution, Charles Darwin who was born on 12 February, 1808. Darwin Day is observed to honor Charles Darwin for his exceptional contributions to science and to entire humanity as well. On 12 February 1909, the celebration for Darwin’s birth anniversary occurred first time at the New York Academy of Sciences at the American Museum of Natural History. Accordingly, there were periodic celebrations of Darwin Day financed by multiple universities, science organizations, and humanist groups. In the United State, it is an official holiday, and it was formally announced in 2015.
The Darwin Day was initiated to honor the birth of Darwin and to celebrate science and humanity both. Today, The International Darwin Day Foundation celebrates this day worldwide with various science institutions and this foundation is the project of American Humanist Association. Charles Darwin is one of the most vital personalities in the fields of science, because his theories of evolution transformed abundant things related to science and humans. With his research, Charles Darwin concluded that, through a usual process named “natural selection” of species that effectively adapted to meet the challenging requirements of their natural habitat survived, while those that failed to do so perished from the Earth. He eventually came to his theory of “transmutation” by “natural selection”, and the word “evolution” was used later. And as science progressed after the death of Charles Darwin, his theories of evolution were studied and distinguished. He did not obtain the advantage of DNA, and his discoveries were made through cautious observations of the natural world and assumptions.
Charles Darwin regularly referred with other scientists while developing his theory of evolution, and different studies supported his elementary concepts. And still, there are several scientists who have different viewpoints than Charles Darwin which challenge the theories created by him. In the journal Science, the University of Adelaide Genetic Memory Research has published a challenge to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. This research indicates that sperm eggs appear to carry genetic memories of events well before conception, and it may force a reconsideration of the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin.
The University of Adelaide similarly suggests that the immoral behaviors established through a parent’s lifetime could be passed on genetically to their children. Babies are possibly prone to their parents’ youthful behavior, from devouring as overweight teenagers, preference of fruits to even liking or disliking of smells. The work was done by the Robinson Research Institute, which works under the University of Adelaide. This research produces the way for the study of Jean Lamarck, a French Biologist, whose theory explains that an organism can pass to its offspring characteristics acquired during its lifetime was basically disregarded after Charles Darwin’s publication of “On the Origin of Species” in the mid-1800s, that work defining evolution as a progression of incidental, and casual mutation between generations.
Professor Sarah from the Robinson Research Institute advised that children born of parents with unhealthy patterns may already be programmed to implement them. Currently, there are multiple biological evidence that memories of experiences in adults can be moved through egg and sperm for the lifetime scenarios of the child. “If evolution has developed something like this it can give a child an edge to survive. This will rewrite long held views, that experiences can actually be transferred to offspring”. Prof Sarah stressed that genes remain the blueprint for a new baby, but said the work of both Charles Darwin and Lamarck may require to be reconsidered. “The genes are the blueprint and that won’t change. But this is at another level, it is the decoration of the gene, the icing on the cake if you like, a gift to offspring that gives them another layer of information about survival”. Lifestyle changes by potential parents and improvements in the right decision, particularly in the months leading up to conception, could have a lasting, positive benefit for the future. And even after numerous challenges and modifications in the science, Charles Darwin remains centrally vital in the development of scientific and humanist ideas because he initially made people aware of their place in the evolutionary process when the most prevailing and intelligent form of life discovered how humanity have survived.
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Reference -
- www.adelaidenow.com.au
- www.darwinday.org
- www.api.nationalgeographic.com