Today is the 197th celebration of the birth of Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary theory.  It’s Darwin Day!

While modern evolutionary synthesis is more complex than the original incarnation proposed by Darwin, his work is the basis of our understanding of how life develops and species form.  It continues to provide the foundation upon which research is based and knowledge is gained in the understanding of life.

Darwin’s theory of the evolution of species by natural selection is supported by the preponderance of evidence.  Rigorous investigation bears out that gradual evolution, common descent, speciation, and the mechanism of natural selection appear to be major components in the development of life right here on our planet, and it’s accepted that it would also explain the development of life elsewhere in the universe regardless of how alien it might be.

I celebrate his life and work.  In the face of terrific weight from the religious wingnuts of his time, he stepped into “treason and folly” for the sake of true science and trying to understand our origins through fact, not fiction.

Only through the conquest of knowledge can we better understand our place in the universe and the mechanics of existence.  Darwin unlocked a significant treasure-trove of information and passed the wealth to us.  Before him, life was a mystery.  Now, thanks to him, its scientific construct is no more mysterious than how the sun shines every day and how planets form throughout the cosmos.  We owe him a debt of gratitude and only wish he could be alive today to see the wonderful advancement and refinement of his work.