A biologist in the Galapagos
8th March Posted by Tony Deis on Mar 08, 2009 in South America by Nicole Apelian The Galapagos Islands are are every biologist's dream. It's the birthplace of evolutionary biology, teeming with endemic species. Endemic refers to species that are found in the Galapagos (or other singular locations) and nowhere in the else in the world. So as a biologist, I make a pilgrimage this year to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his ground-breaking text The Origin of Species. Even the great Darwin wasn't able to figure out the process of evolution by natural selection while in the Galapagos. His "Ah-ha!" moment didn't happen there. Instead, his collections and observations fed future thinking of how the process of natural selection works.That's what travel does - it allows us to bring new experiences and ideas home to mull over and let them change our thoughts and our lives for years to come. On March 16th, I will travel to Ecuador to see the Galapagos as a biologist and traveler. Do you want to join me for my next trip? Check out my June 2009 trip to Africa. Also, consider Galapagos 2010. This year's trip will be awesome. |
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