“It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change”-Charles Darwin
This year marks the 150 year anniversary since the first publication of On the Origin of Species and the 200 year anniversary of Darwin’s birth. We all know this publication is considered to be the major foundation of evolutionary biology, but I was shocked when I saw that researcher Ben Fry created a visual piece that describes the evolution of the literature itself! As in, seeing the change of Darwin’s thinking over time.
Check it out by clicking on the image below!
As Fry described here:
We often think of scientific ideas, such as Darwin’s theory of evolution, as fixed notions that are accepted as finished. In fact, Darwin’s On the Origin of Species evolved over the course of several editions he wrote, edited, and updated during his lifetime. The first English edition was approximately 150,000 words and the sixth is a much larger 190,000 words. In the changes are refinements and shifts in ideas — whether increasing the weight of a statement, adding details, or even a change in the idea itself.
What a beautiful project! You can view the overall progress of the publication with the changing colors at the macro level, or hover your mouse over each of the sections to view the changes at the micro level. Yay!
A high five to Ben Fry (and of course, Charlie D.) for his work. And love to waxy for the tip!
Have a happy weekend,
Carla
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