Feature

The theory of evolution: searching for our own identity

Tanvir Manzoor Hussain

Our universe is replete with extraordinary wonders from monstrous black holes weighing a billion suns that can eat up entire stars, and massively dense neutron stars that spin a thousand times a second, to elusive subatomic particles that have no mass at all. Yet, amazing though these may be, the phenomenon of life is more remarkable and breathtaking than all of them put together. Once there was life, the vast stillness of space was never going to be the same again. Life had broken that seemingly perpetual silence, and has provided a route to consciousness, intelligence and technology.

The study of how and where life began has today become one of the great outstanding mysteries of science. And the reason for this is that the story of life's origin has important ramifications on a variety of extremely contentious topics, and raises profound fundamental questions about religion, philosophy, astronomy and even our own future. Questions like whether we are the only sentient beings in the universe, whether life is a product of a random natural accident or some deeply rooted law or the hand of God, whether there is an ultimate meaning to our existence, and where exactly we fit in on the grand scheme of things.

Perhaps then it isn't so surprising that when in 1859 Charles Darwin had proposed the 'Theory of Evolution', which presented the first ever credible scientific theory about the origin of life based on evidence he had collected for over two decades, it was met with strong opposition and ridicule by the contemporary scientific and religious communities. The reason was that according to Darwin's theory, all living things, including humans, had evolved over millions of years through a series of continual changes, and ultimately the source of all life can be traced back to a single living molecule that probably arose quite by accident in a primordial organic mixture sometime early in the Earth's history. He along with Alfred Wallace suggested that nature was prolific, meaning that more organisms were born than could possibly survive, and therefore nature selects those varieties, which are by accident, better suited for survival. And over the ages this results in slow transformations, with new species constantly evolving and others dying out.

These far-reaching propositions were met with a great deal of rage and derision from the 19th century rationalist and religious society, with many declaring it incompatible with their basic tenets. Indeed this theory was, for example, in direct conflict with the Biblical account in the Book of Genesis, and with the prevalent beliefs that humans were the products of an infusion of life into inanimate substance by some form of a divine intervention. They were just not prepared to accept that from viruses and bacteria to oak trees, slime molds and giant whales, all forms of life could be related; and that humans might just be a part of that list it took away all the special importance that were attributed to humans in their view of the world.

Although the 'Theory of Evolution' is no different from any other scientific theory, in the sense that it is but a model that attempts to explain (not assert) certain natural events (thus ascribing no one the right to claim it to be the ultimate truth), its broad scope, logical beauty and predictive strength are quite admirable indeed. While its compatibility with certain religious beliefs is strongly debatable, its scientific usefulness is unparalleled. Despite so much opposition the theory has survived, and is today firmly entrenched as a basic scientific principle, even reconciled with some religious doctrines. Modern research into genetics has made it even more compelling and appealing, presenting us with numerous scientific and social possibilities for the future.

Evolution is probably the most fascinating and elegant theoretical discovery ever made, perhaps because it quite literally illustrates our past, present and future, all together from the creation of lifeforms to the existence of humans to the extinction of species. It has given us an understanding of who we are and where we are headed; it tells us how beautiful life really is, and perhaps more significantly, how it becomes more beautiful as the eons of time pass.