National Geographic and The New Yorker have several things in common. One of them is that they are probably read by their subscribers far less than they deserve to be.
The February 2009 issue has two fascinating articles about Darwin. Since 2009 is 200 years since the birth of Darwin and 150 years since the Publication of The Origin of Species, these articles are especially timely. Both articles have the usual gorgeous photographs accompanying their text.
What is especially interesting about the first one, "Darwin's First Clues," is the explanation of how his South American observations gave him the first clues on the road to formulating his theory. These aren't usually stressed or explained in detail, and his visit to the Galapagos Islands is usually thought of as the impetus for his theory. In fact, as the article demonstrates, South America was extremely important in his thoughts.
The second article, "Modern Darwins," discusses how modern genetics fits into Darwin's theory. Since enormous advances have been made in this field in the last few decades, this is very pertinent.
Anyone wanting to understand the general substance of Darwin's theories without making a scholarly study would do well to read these pieces.
Kudos to National Geographic for publishing them !
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