Seed Media Group: Blog

Wednesday, September 09, 2009 • New • by Eva Wisten • #

See the Origin of Species evolve

Far from being an Eureka-moment, Darwin formulated his theory of evolution by the process of natural selection as he wrote.
New work from the Phyllotaxis Lab tracks changes in Charles Darwin’s versions of The Origin of Species, showing the shifts in Darwin’s thinking over time.

Ben Fry on this first version of his project:

“The second edition, for instance, adds a notable “by the Creator” to the closing paragraph, giving greater attribution to a higher power. In another example, the phrase “survival of the fittest” — usually considered central to the theory and often attributed to Darwin — instead came from British philosopher Herbert Spencer, and didn’t appear until the fifth edition of the text.”