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Nature 446, 478-479 (29 March 2007) | doi:10.1038/446478a; Published online 28 March 2007

Darwin and the 20-year publication gap

Lucy Odling-Smee

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Was On the Origin of Species really delayed by religious fears?

Did Darwin delay publishing his theory of evolution by natural selection because he feared an outcry from the establishment? This has been a popular belief, and has been stoked by the fact that although Darwin began formulating the theory in 1837, he did not publish On the Origin of Species until 1859.