CHARLES DARWIN, página 3 de 16

Una de las obras más relevantes de Charles Darwin, despues de sus famosas "El origen de las especies" y "El origen del hombre", fue sin duda alguna la obra que ahora presentamos traducida al castellano por primera vez. En ella, a diferencia de las dos mencionadas anteriormente en las que trata la variacion de las especies de forma general analizando las causas (la seleccion natural, la seleccion sexual, la lucha por la existencia), se ocupa fundamentalmente y de forma extensa del papel de la seleccion en la variacion de las especies de seres vivos cuando se hallan en estado domestico.

Malgrat els consells de Lyell i Hooker, Darwin mantenia el seu programa d'escriure una gran obra sobre l'origen de les espècies. Lyell l'instà a publicar un resum de les seues idees sobre la selecció

La repercusión que tuvo la teoría evolutiva de Charles Darwin ha sido comparada con la revolución producida por la teoría copernicana o las leyes de Newton. Más allá del papel que desempeña la seleccion en la variabilidad de los seres vivos, lo que impresiona es el enorme edificio de datos y pruebas acumulado por Darwin para demostrar que los seres vivos procedian unos de otros y en especial de unos troncos comunes; todo ello mediante procesos y leyes naturales. La presente edicion esta basada en una traduccion que hizo en 1921 el biologo Antonio de Zulueta, introductor de la genetica experimental en España.

Pruebas de que el hombre desciende de una forma inferior. Facultades mentales del hombre y de los animales inferiores. Facultades mentales del hombre y de los animales inferiores. De cómo se ha desarrollado el hombre de alguna forma inferior. Desarrollo de facultades morales e intelectuales en los tiempos primitivos y en los civilizados.

Sincero autorretrato ofrece una visión muy reveladora sobre las creencias y los principios de un hombre ético cuyas teorías sobre la evolución sacudieron las bases de la región tradicional. Incluye tambien "Recuerdos de la vida cotidiana de mi padre " escrito por Sir Francis Darvin donde se explora el punto de vista de Charles Darwin sobre la religion.

Preliminar de F. Cordón.

Todo el mundo ha oído hablar del darwinismo, la evolución de las especies, el viaje del Beagle&, pero muy pocos conocen a Darwin, el hombre. Ahora presentamos la historia de su vida, escrita por él mismo. Las memorias autobiográficas de Charles Darwin fueron escritas para sus hijos, sin pensar en ningún momento que pudieran acabar siendo publicadas y dieran a conocer a un hombre humilde que prefería la compañía y los consejos de su familia antes que los de los eminentes científicos que lo rodeaban. Este sincero autorretrato ofrece una visión muy reveladora sobre las creencias y los principios de un hombre ético cuyas teorías sobre la evolución sacudieron las bases de la religión tradicional, desde 1831 hasta hoy mismo, y cuyas tesis todavía levantan polémica, pero fundamentalmente han significado para la Humanidad la opción de dar un paso de gigante en el conocimiento de sus orígenes.

Darwin s theory of natural selection is also a humane and inspirational vision of ecological inter relatedness revealing the almost unthinkably complex and mutual inter dependencies between animal and plant life climate and physical environment and by implication the human world

The "Life and Letters of Charles Darwin" was published in 1887. Since that date, through the kindness of various correspondents, additional letters have been received; among them may be mentioned those written by Mr. Darwin to Mr. Belt, Lady Derby, Hugh Falconer, Mr. Francis Galton, Huxley, Lyell, Mr. John Morley, Max Muller, Owen, Lord Playfair, John Scott, Thwaites, Sir William Turner, John Jenner Weir. But the material for our work consisted in chief part of a mass of letters which, for want of space or for other reasons, were not printed in the "Life and Letters." We would draw particular attention to the correspondence with Sir Joseph Hooker. To him Mr. Darwin wrote with complete freedom, and this has given something of a personal charm to the most technical of his letters. There is also much correspondence, hardly inferior in biographical interest, with Sir Charles Lyell, Fritz Muller, Mr. Huxley, and Mr. Wallace. From this unused material we have been able to compile an almost complete record of Mr. Darwins work in a series of letters now published for the first time. We have, however, in a few instances, repeated paragraphs, or in one or two cases whole letters, from the "Life and Letters," where such repetition seemed necessary for the sake of clearness or continuity...

The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex is a book by Charles Darwin, first published in 1871, which applies evolutionary theory to human evolution, and details his theory of sexual selection, a form of biological adaptation distinct from, yet interconnected with, natural selection. The book discusses many related issues, including evolutionary psychology, evolutionary ethics, differences between human races, differences between sexes, the dominant role of women in mate choice, and the relevance of the evolutionary theory to society.

During the successive reprints of the first edition of this work, published in 1871, I was able to introduce several important corrections; and now that more time has elapsed, I have endeavoured to profit by the fiery ordeal through which the book has passed, and have taken advantage of all the criticisms which seem to me sound. I am also greatly indebted to a large number of correspondents for the communication of a surprising number of new facts and remarks. These have been so numerous, that I have been able to use only the more important ones; and of these, as well as of the more important corrections, I will append a list. Some new illustrations have been introduced, and four of the old drawings have been replaced by better ones, done from life by Mr. T.W. Wood. I must especially call attention to some observations which I owe to the kindness of Prof. Huxley (given as a supplement at the end of Part I.), on the nature of the differences between the brains of man and the higher apes. I have been particularly glad to give these observations, because during the last few years several memoirs on the subject have appeared on the Continent, and their importance has been, in some cases, greatly exaggerated by popular writers.I may take this opportunity of remarking that my critics frequently assume that I attribute all changes of corporeal structure and mental power exclusively to the natural selection of such variations as are often called spontaneous; whereas, even in the first edition of the Origin of Species, I distinctly stated that great weight must be attributed to the inherited effects of use and disuse, with respect both to the body and mind. I also attributed some amount of modification to the direct and prolonged action of changed conditions of life.

In this book, Darwin seeks to trace the origins of such human characteristics as the lifting of the eyebrows in moments of surprise and the mental confusion which typically accompanies blushing. Darwin links mental states to the neurological organization of movement; and he sought out the opinions of some leading British psychiatrists, notably James Crichton-Browne, in the preparation of the book which forms his main contribution to psychology. Amongst the innovations with this book are Darwins circulation of a questionnaire in his preparatory research; simple experiments on emotional recognition among his friends and family; and (borrowing from Duchenne de Boulogne) the use of photographs in its presentation of scientific information. The Expression of the Emotions is an important landmark in the history of book illustration.

The share which worms have taken in the formation of the layer of vegetable mould, which covers the whole surface of the land in every moderately humid country, is the subject of the present volume.This mould is generally of a blackish colour and a few inches in thickness.In different districts it differs but little in appearance, although it may rest on various subsoils.The uniform fineness of the particles of which it is composed is one of its chief characteristic features; and this may be well observed in any gravelly country, where a recently-ploughed field immediately adjoins one which has long remained undisturbed for pasture, and where the vegetable mould is exposed on the sides of a ditch or hole.The subject may appear an insignificant one, but we shall see that it possesses some interest; and the maxim "de minimis non curat lex," does not apply to science.Even Elie de Beaumont, who generally undervalues small agencies and their accumulated effects, remarks:"La couche tres-mince de la terre vegetale est un monument dune haute antiquite, et, par le fait de sa permanence, un objet digne doccuper le geologue, et capable de lui fournir des remarques interessantes."Although the superficial layer of vegetable mould as a whole no doubt is of the highest antiquity, yet in regard to its permanence, we shall hereafter see reason to believe that its component particles are in most cases removed at not a very slow rate, and are replaced by others due to the disintegration of the underlying materials. As I was led to keep in my study during many months worms in pots filled with earth, I became interested in them, and wished to learn how far they acted consciously, and how much mental power they displayed.I was the more desirous to learn something on this head, as few observations of this kind have been made, as far as I know, on animals so low in the scale of organization and so poorly provided with sense-organs, as are earth-worms... Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin (1809-1882), eminente naturalista, destacado fisiólogo vegetal y un excelente criador de plantas, nunca se consideró a sí mismo como un experto botánico, según lo expresa al comienzo de esta obra: el tema del presente volumen, es decir, las distintas formas que habitualmente presentan las flores de ciertos tipos de plantas [] deberia haber sido abordado por un botanico ducho, distincion que no puedo otorgarme. Botanico de gabinete, para sus investigaciones devoro infinitos libros y conto con el apoyo y la inestimable ayuda de botanicos e investigadores como j. D. Hooker (1817-1911), asa gray (1810-1888), william thiselton dyer (1843-1928), daniel oliver (1830-1916) y fritz muller (1821-1897), ademas de con la asistencia de sus hijos, tanto para la realizacion de sus experimentos como para su ilustracion. En esta obra se recogen los trabajos de experimentacion y las hipotesis que darwin planteo para dar una explicacion a la variabilidad de la estructura floral de las plantas y averiguar su razon de ser. En esta ocasion se analiza parte de un amplio fenomeno denominado en la actualidad hercogamia, es decir, la separacion espacial de anteras y estigmas dentro de una misma flor, lo que reduce o impide completamente la autofecundacion intrafloral; concretamente, se estudia la hercogamia reciproca o heterostilia, asi como el fenomeno de las flores cleistogamas o aquellas que se autofecundan a si mismas al madurar sus estambres y estigmas mientras se encuentran encerrados en la corola floral que presenta forma de capullo.