While the birth bicentenary of Charles Darwin is being celebrated lavishly all round the globe, a lesson in extinction needs to be learnt by humans, as a mark of reverence to the great biologist

He rocked the world, shook the religious masters and created a theory that most people of his time thought to be highly bizarre. Celebrated scientist Charles Darwin’s scientific prowess both intrigued and awed many. The year 2009 marks the Darwin Double Anniversary (bicentenary of his birth and 150 years since the first publication of On the Origin of Specie), which not surprisingly has been received with much admiration and revered remeberance. The British Council Library, Pune too dressed itself immaculately for the celebration, and orgainsed an exhibition called ‘Darwin Now’ starting November 10. The event was inaugurated by actor Sonali Kulkarni and scientist Milind Watve, professor Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER). Professor Watve left everybody pondering when he said, “Darwin’s theory is young, in fact, if all the scientsits in the world start studying only biology even then it would take 300 more years to understand it completely. But sadly, before we can even start to understand the complex proces of evolution a lot of species are in fact vanshing. We are discussing evlution and extinction on the same platform.”

One look at the facts shows that over 20 per cent of mammal species are endangered by habitat loss and poaching, new highways, urban sprawl, and other man-made barriers. Since the year 2000 some notable species have become extinct.

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