Darwinism - International reception

Darwin´s pigeons and the evolution of columbiforms: recapitulation of ancient genes

by Juan Martínez-Gómez

Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n.s.) 25(3): 719-741.  2009.

To commemorate the sesquicentennial of Charles Darwin´s “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”, we... more To commemorate the sesquicentennial of Charles Darwin´s “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”, we address an essential topic in this publication. Domestic pigeons were extremely important in shaping Darwin’s theory of evolution: pigeons featured prominently not only in his “Origin of Species”, but also in his treatise on “Variation under Domestication”, in his “Descent of Man” and finally in his “Expression of Emotions”. Darwin saw the process of domestication as solid evidence demonstrating the power of selection. He argued convincingly that all domestic pigeon breeds (some 150 in his day) descended from one ancestral species, the Rock Dove (Columba livia), and that from this single species, humans selected directionally for colors, sizes, shapes, peculiarities of bill shape and length, plumage characteristics and voice qualities. While these domestic races achieved remarkable morphological differentiation under selection in the course of human generations, extant genera of pigeons (Columbiformes) have attained similar traits during the course of natural selection in the wild. We present a comparison of such characters between modern domestic breeds of the Rock Dove, the original Darwin´s Pigeons plus new breeds, and wild pigeon species to encourage further studies on their evolution in the light of molecular techniques not available at Darwin´s time.

Romualda Swierzbieńskiego dwie krytyki teorii ewolucji [Romuald Swierzbienski's Two Critiques of the Theory of Evolution]

by Mateusz Hohol

co-authored with Piotr Butrymowski, published in: "Semina Scientiarum" 2010, no. 9, pp. 6-34.

Cardinals and Evolutionism

by Robert Lazu

Published in "Studia Universitatis Babes Bolyai - Theologia Catholica", No. 2, 2008.

In the context of the debates caused by the “Intelligent Design” movement, an important catholic contribution was made... more In the context of the debates caused by the “Intelligent Design” movement, an important catholic contribution was made when Cardinal Christoph Schönborn published an article entitled “Finding Design in Nature” in the The New York Times issue of July 7th 2005. His Eminence’s essay had an explosive effect, in accordance to the author’s confessed wish “to awaken Catholics from their dogmatic slumber about positivism in general and evolutionism in particular” . If in the view of certain Catholics the Darwinist doctrine does not seem to contradict Christian faith, Schönborn proved that the situation is not that simple.

Tudomány magyar fordításban: A teremtés természettörténelmének nyomai [Science in Hungarian Translation: Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation]

by Katalin Stráner

Published in Századvég, 2010 (56).

MY TALK ON PHILOSOPHY OF MIND AND MIRROR NEURONS AT RUTGERS, JUNE 10-11, 2010

by Nicola Simonetti