Reading On the Origin of Species for the 1st time: I had no idea this was so accessible

[Taverner]

I'm no biogeek - I love Biology, but do not know the nomenclature.

Despite that, OTOOS is EXCELLENT. It reads like a blog, if you can believe that.

[ghostsofgiants]

1. Further proof that Darwin was ahead of his time.

:P

[BrotherBuzz]

2. The Voyage of the Beagle is an interesting read, too

Published twenty years before The Origin of Species. It's kinda travel log; geography, history, and science all mixed together. Interesting when you read where Darwin starts thinking about evolution and survival of the fittest in the Patagonia, before he even ventures to Galapagos islands. He witnessed a strange breed of cattle called nata or niata, with over/under bite(?) teeth and how they fair poorly in drought because their lips do not join. Causes of Extinction! All found in Chapter VIII:

http://www.bartleby.com/29/8.html

[arcadian]

3. At the end of the book, everybody dies.

*SPOILER* sorry

[Crabby Appleton]

4. You can download it and many other interesting books free

at the Gutenberg Project

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page