 Summary : 150 years ago, Charles Darwin published ‘On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection’, a book full of provocative and innovating ideas that Darwin had maintained as a well kept secret for over 25 years. In that book, Darwin presented his theory about the nature of the driving force that forms species, from their origin to their extinction, and how life forms descend with modifications. Darwin’s ideas became stronger in later years with the discovery of the laws of inheritance, the chemical structure of DNA, the universality of the genetic code, the synthesis and the neutral theories of evolution and the enormous expansion in the registry of fossils. Recently, the sequencing and assembly of whole genomes of hundreds of micro-organisms, plants and animals, together with functional studies in transgenic organisms, have provided irresistible experimental evidence about the origins and diversity of life forms on Earth. Despite the inevitability of celebrations of round numbers, there are a few unquestionable reasons that explain why this year big and small universities, academic institutions, television channels, or pop magazines, gave wide coverage to the 200th birthday of 'the Man on the Beagle'. This discussion will present many regular examples, including our own studies, showing why Darwin’s legacy deserves such special celebration in 2009. Perhaps, because there is grandeur in this vision of life with its diverse powers, originally expressed in a few forms or just in one, and because whilst this planet has been turning in accordance with the fixed laws of gravitation, from such a simple endless beginning, the most beautiful and marvellous forms have been evolving and continue to do so. |