Science in 1907 manuscript
Full transcription
Science in 1907.
I am not aware of any ,strikingly. specially important development of science during the past year, though all the sciences have advanced by the usual amount of specialised study and research, As regards the science with which I am most interested- that of organic Evolution- the last few years have seen a considerable advance towards the establishment of <the original> Darwin's theory of Natural Selection on a more extended basis of observation and experiment than had previously been possible. The two chief workers in this line of research are, Mr. W. L. Tower of the University of Chicago, and Professor E.B. Poulton of the Hope Museum, Oxford. The former, after five years continuous experiment and observation on a very large scale and over a wide area of country, published, in 1906, a large volume on Evolution in Chrysomelid Beetles of the genus Leptinotarsa, in which he has demonstrated the action of natural selection as the great agent in the formation of new species. this is established both by experiment and by <the observation of> a close study of the living insects <over a> under varying climatic and environmental conditions. Professor Poulton's work has been <in> the systematic study for a much longest period of the whole range of the phenomena of Protective resemblance and Mimicry, in every part of the world. He has brought together in the Hope Museum the first extensive <and systematic> collections so arranged as to illustrate the phenomena of Mimicry, which are now <shown> proved to be far more widespread and important than had formerly been suspected, and to be absolutely inexplicable on any other theory than that of continuous variation, and elimination of the less fit through the struggle for existence. Both these great investigators agree in rejecting. as being wholly opposed to the facts of nature, the three alternative theories - neo-Lamarkism, mutation, and Mendelism. The first of these has now few supporters, and is absolutely condemned by Mr. Tower. The upholders of the other two theories have , for the last few years, been very loud in their claims, but are shown by Prof. Poulton in a work (now in the press) entitled "Essays on Evolution", to be altogether<…….> inoperative in <question> <nature> The production of new species. In this he is supported by <most> many eminent students of Evolution in all parts of the World. My own opinion is that the extravagant claims made by the Mutationists and Mendelians for what <is ..> are merely side issues <of> in the <great> problem of heredity, <are> are entirely without foundation and, to those who are well acquainted with the works of Darwin and the facts of nature, are little less than ridiculous.
I am not aware of any ,strikingly. specially important development of science during the past year, though all the sciences have advanced by the usual amount of specialised study and research, As regards the science with which I am most interested- that of organic Evolution- the last few years have seen a considerable advance towards the establishment of <the original> Darwin's theory of Natural Selection on a more extended basis of observation and experiment than had previously been possible. The two chief workers in this line of research are, Mr. W. L. Tower of the University of Chicago, and Professor E.B. Poulton of the Hope Museum, Oxford. The former, after five years continuous experiment and observation on a very large scale and over a wide area of country, published, in 1906, a large volume on Evolution in Chrysomelid Beetles of the genus Leptinotarsa, in which he has demonstrated the action of natural selection as the great agent in the formation of new species. this is established both by experiment and by <the observation of> a close study of the living insects <over a> under varying climatic and environmental conditions. Professor Poulton's work has been <in> the systematic study for a much longest period of the whole range of the phenomena of Protective resemblance and Mimicry, in every part of the world. He has brought together in the Hope Museum the first extensive <and systematic> collections so arranged as to illustrate the phenomena of Mimicry, which are now <shown> proved to be far more widespread and important than had formerly been suspected, and to be absolutely inexplicable on any other theory than that of continuous variation, and elimination of the less fit through the struggle for existence. Both these great investigators agree in rejecting. as being wholly opposed to the facts of nature, the three alternative theories - neo-Lamarkism, mutation, and Mendelism. The first of these has now few supporters, and is absolutely condemned by Mr. Tower. The upholders of the other two theories have , for the last few years, been very loud in their claims, but are shown by Prof. Poulton in a work (now in the press) entitled "Essays on Evolution", to be altogether<…….> inoperative in <question> <nature> The production of new species. In this he is supported by <most> many eminent students of Evolution in all parts of the World. My own opinion is that the extravagant claims made by the Mutationists and Mendelians for what <is ..> are merely side issues <of> in the <great> problem of heredity, <are> are entirely without foundation and, to those who are well acquainted with the works of Darwin and the facts of nature, are little less than ridiculous.
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