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Darwin’s Barnacles
- jaqalopes 5y agoThis is a charming read. I genuinely did not know that the finches were not Darwin's main avenue to discovering evolution. The barnacle story really puts into perspective that his work was much more in-depth than the popular story I had understood assumes.
- blululu 5y agoI would highly recommend reading Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle. It is one of the finest examples of travel literature and natural history in one text. It is also worth noting that the Galapagos play a relatively minor role in the book and are in many ways one of the more minor chapters. At the closing summary, while reflecting upon the voyage it does not even receive mention among the most notable places on the journey.
- hirundo 5y agoSo where were the males? Embarrassingly, Darwin had nearly thrown them away. He’d been finding little tick-like things attached to Ms. Arthrobalanus—parasites, he assumed. So he picked them off. In reality, these “ticks” were the menfolk. They were ten times smaller than the females and consisted of nothing but sacs of sperms. All other body parts on the males, such as stomachs and heads, had been whittled away by evolution. How can demands for equality between the sexes in general be justified when gross inequalities can be such useful fitness strategies? If our species were made more fit by men evolving into small sacks that women attach to themselves like jewelry, then that practice would be both unequal and ethical.
- ceejayoz 5y agoBecause we're not barnacles?
- javert 5y agoDemands for equality between the sexes are justified because people of both sexes want more equality in order to improve their own personal lives. The justification never was "fitness of the species." I believe that would be a terrible goal. My belief happens to reflect the global consensus in the current era. This was one of the (many) issues behind World War II. Although I don't think even the Nazis truly believed in maximizing the fitness of the species. I think it was an excuse.