Editor's Summary
20 November 2008
Darwin 200: Beyond the origin
February 2009 sees the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Robert Darwin and November 2009 the 150th anniversary of the publication of his great work, On the Origin of Species. In the intervening two centuries, no single scientist has matched Darwin's impact on the sciences, politics, religion, philosophy and art. This issue of Nature brings together news, research and analysis of Darwin, his life, his science and his legacy. Darwin saw the eye — so complex and seemingly useless with any of its components part-formed — as an obstacle to the acceptance of natural selection. Today we know it as one of evolution's crowning glories — celebrated with a fold-out pictorial feature and current research that refers right back to the 'protoeyes' hypothesized by Darwin. In later writings (Descent of Man, 1871), Darwin touched on a topic that still divides evolutionary biologists — group selection. Does natural selection work for individuals against the interests of the group? Or is such thinking a historical mistake? We report on the debate and why it is important, and review a 'landmark book' on the superorgansims of the insect world, where the group looms large. Extinction comes with the evolutionary territory. But is it for ever? With the publication of the genome sequence of the long-gone woolly mammoth, some researchers are even claiming that mammoths will one day be recreated. Biologists tend to see evolved living systems as finely tuned machines, prone to failure if one component is faulty. But, as Tanguy Chouard reveals, this is not what happens in the real world. Plenty for biologists to celebrate and plenty of places to do it: we have trawled the world for events commemorating Darwin's life and works and trawled the publishers' lists for books doing the same. Not quite everybody will be in celebratory mood. The scientists we spoke to mostly are, but past celebrations have had to tread carefully. The Darwin-related content from this issue — and extra online-only material — can be accessed via: http://www.nature.com/darwin.
Editorial: Beyond the origin
This issue of Nature anticipates next year's bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of On The Origin of Species. We begin here with a look 50 years into the future.
doi:10.1038/456281a
News: Darwin 200: Beyond the origin
Celebrating the man and the book.
doi:10.1038/456295a
News: Darwin 200: The needs of the many
The idea that natural selection acts on groups, as well as individuals, is a source of unending debate. Marek Kohn reports on what the two sides disagree about - and why it matters to them.
doi:10.1038/456296a
News Feature: Darwin 200: Beneath the surface
You might think that once evolution has found one way to get something done, it will stick with it. But similar physical forms can hide radically different wiring, finds Tanguy Chouard.
doi:10.1038/456300a
News Feature: Darwin 200: An eye for the eye
A celebration of one of evolution's crowning glories.
doi:10.1038/456304a
News Feature: Darwin 200: Let's make a mammoth
Evolution assumes that extinction is forever. Maybe not. Henry Nicholls asks what it would take to bring the woolly mammoth back from the dead.
doi:10.1038/456310a
Commentary: Darwin 200: Great expectations
A new path for evolution? A truce in the culture wars? Here's what a selection of readers told Nature they expect from Darwin 200.
doi:10.1038/456317a
Books and Arts: Colonies that conquer
doi:10.1038/456320a
Books and Arts: Darwin: heading to a town near you
The theory of evolution challenges artists and philosophers as much as scientists. Joanne Baker rounds up the many forthcoming events worldwide that examine Darwin's life, his work and reactions to it.
doi:10.1038/456322a
Books and Arts: Books in Brief: A Down House bookshelf
doi:10.1038/456323a
Essay: Birthdays to remember
Anniversaries of Charles Darwin's life and work have been used to rewrite and re-energize his theory of natural selection. Janet Browne tracks a century of Darwinian celebrations.
doi:10.1038/456324a
Letter: Mechanism of phototaxis in marine zooplankton
doi:10.1038/nature07590
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