What day is it?

On November 24, the community of scientists around the world celebrates the International Day of Evolution. This holiday is dedicated to the anniversary of the publication of the widely known work “The Origin of Species”, which was written by Charles Darwin on November 24, 1859. Since the book was not written in a scientific, but in a popular journalistic style, it caused a real stir in society. This is one of the most important works in the history of science, which explains in detail and logically the principles of the existence of life on the planet and the emergence of a great variety of flora and fauna. This is how the theory of evolution was born, which was later called Darwinism.

How did the idea of ​​celebrating the International Day of Evolution come about?

The idea of ​​this holiday arose in the 90s of the 20th century, but it was implemented only in 2001, when the non-profit organization “Darwin Day Program” was created.

Subsequently, a special International Darwin Day Fund was established, which was engaged in popularizing the ideas of Darwinism, namely, natural selection and the origin of man.

Thus, in 1909, the Day of Evolution was celebrated for the first time, which became the 50th anniversary of the release of the fateful treatise for all science and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.

Parallel to the International Day of Evolution, Darwin Day or the International Day of Science and Humanism is also celebrated on November 24. The holiday dedicated to the publication of the first work on evolution is celebrated in many universities around the world. And although the theory of evolution has been repeatedly criticized, the geography of the celebration of the anniversary of the publication of “The Origin of Species” is expanding. The holiday has gained international significance.

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was born and grew up in the family of a doctor. He was educated in Cambridge and graduated from the medical faculty of the University of Edinburgh. The young man was interested in geology, zoology, and botany. While studying at the university, Charles began conducting field research, thanks to which he acquired a deep knowledge of biology.

His journey on the ship “Beagle”, which took place from 1832 to 1837, was important both in the life of the scientist himself and in the history of all science. Five years of deep and thorough research led him to the conclusion that every kind of living thing was constantly changing.

After completing the trip, Darwin began to consider a problem that worried biologists even before him – the problem of the origin of species. He began to study the topic of variability of representatives of flora and fauna both at home and in natural conditions for them.

It was due to the perseverance of this English scientist and his many years of research that the theory of evolution appeared, which was based on the origin of species through natural selection. For the first time, the work “On the Origin of Species”, authored by Charles Darwin, was published in 1859.

Theory of evolution

The scientist did not intend to publish his work, his friends and associates – C. Lyell and J. D. Hooker – insisted on this. It was they who convinced the biologist to make the results of his many years of research available to the general public.

At the same time, another biologist, Alfred Wallace, was going to publish a work that was very close to Darwin’s theory in terms of subject matter and was entitled “On the Tendency of Varieties to Unlimited Deviation from the Original Type.”

Thus, the year 1859 was marked for the entire scientific world by the release of Charles Darwin’s work “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Species in the Struggle for Life.”

The success of the book was sensational. The theory was well received and supported by some scientists and sharply criticized by others. However, each subsequent work was instantly absorbed by those who were concerned with the topic of the origin of all living things on earth.

All Darwin’s publications acquired the status of bestsellers and were published in many languages ​​and made the scientist a celebrity not only in the world of scientists, but also among ordinary people. The main reason for the popularity of Darwin’s theory was its basic principles.

Basic principles of the theory of evolution

The theory of the origin of species is based on reasonable and logical theses. They are not empty words, subject to verification by experimental methods and confirmation by real facts.

1. Each type of living organism is capable of changing according to its individual genetic characteristics, which may include behavioral, physiological, morphological and other factors.
2. Every living organism is capable of rapid reproduction in order to increase its population. Only an insufficient amount of resources, for which the struggle for existence is waged, can stand in the way.
3. In this struggle, only those individuals that have maximally adapted to certain environmental conditions survive and reproduce.
4. Natural selection consists in the survival and preferential production of offspring of those representatives of the population who have most adapted and adapted to the existing conditions.

Interesting Facts

• During the evolutionary adaptation of the human immune system to coexistence with beneficial microorganisms, many viruses “adjusted” to DNA molecules and became part of them.
• There are moments in history when, after a long lull, evolution accelerates several times. Scientists explain a similar phenomenon with the “bottleneck” theory. According to her, such jumps occur when the population is threatened with extinction. An example is Tasmanian devils, in which the age of reaching sexual maturity has been drastically reduced. This happened after the entire species was affected by an incurable disease.
• Hot pepper became such as a result of “desire” that it could not be eaten by animals. But at the same time, those herbivores for whom pepper is a food product developed a tolerance to its heat and continued to use it.
• The scientific world has established the opinion that the emergence of large groups of animals happened by chance, and then existed for a long time without significant changes. Some of them disappeared as suddenly as they appeared. These conclusions were made after studying more than 200 million different fossils around the world.
• In the process of evolution, Europeans and Asians developed light skin independently of each other, so this skin tone is encoded by different genes.

International Evolution Day in history

• 1832 -1837

  Charles Darwin’s journey on the ship “Beagle”.
• 1859
  November 24

  Publication of Ch. Darwin’s work “On the Origin of Species”.
• 1909
  November 24

  The first celebration of the Day of Evolution.
• 2001

  The non-profit organization “Darwin Day Program” was created, and the International Day of Evolution was also introduced. .

How to celebrate International Evolution Day ?

This day is mostly celebrated in scientific circles. Congresses, symposia, conferences are held at the international level. In 2009, the BBC aired the BBC Darwin Season, a series of television and radio programs dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species.

This holiday did not pass by higher scientific institutions, especially those where biological sciences are taught. On this day, lectures devoted to the theory of evolution and its significance for humanity are held. On this day, students have the opportunity to take part in numerous activities, get acquainted with the biography of the scientist, learn about evolutionary mechanisms. In schools, interesting quizzes and workshops are held, designed for school-age children.

In the beginning, the holiday was celebrated spontaneously, when educational events on the topic of evolution were held in one or another educational institution in honor of a famous English scientist. The foundations of the theory of evolution were accepted by all scientists. And although some of its principles are subject to harsh criticism, this important date is celebrated in many countries of the world, which makes the day of evolution actually an international holiday.

Why is it important? this event?

Every person should know about the International Day of Evolution, but this holiday has a special value in the eyes of scientists who study medicine, anatomy, biochemistry, biotechnology, biophysics, botany, genetics, virology, microbiology and other biological disciplines for which the theory of evolution and the origin of species are basic.

Science does not stand still, new ones appear on the foundation of discoveries of past years. And what the next discoveries will be depends on the assimilation and understanding of the discoveries of the past.

When will we celebrate International day of evolution?