Nature's Work Never Accident

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6748, 5 January 1932, Page 3

Nature's Work Never Accident

ACADEMY OF SCIENCE TOLD THAT DARWIN’S THEORIES ARE REVOLUTIONISED. NEW HAVEN, Conn. Nature does nut work by accident but- by direct adaptive methods, it was declared by Mr. Henry F. Osborn, director of the American Museum of Natural History, at the opening session of the National Academy of Sciences, which met at Y r alo University. This concept completely revolutionises theories of Darwinian evolution, according to Mr. Osborn, who said that the new ideas aro the result of GU years of intensive research and investigation of fossils carried on all over the world. “Recently the study of grinding teeth of the mammoth group enables us ■for the first time to establish tho rate of evolution in an extremely important adaptive organ, very slow even in the course of 10,000 years,’’ Mr. Osborn said. “This incredibly slow rate exposes tho futility of modem experimental research, which would produce a now character in a single year or in a few seconds. “In brief, the now concept of evolution is forced upon us by the discovery since the year 1869 of nine new principles of biomechanical evolution which were not only unknown to Hilaries Darwin but are directly'antagonistic to one of his fundamental theses that nature does anything by fortuity, by accident of by chance. “Throughout Darwin’s life period our attention was concentrated on species. Jn this after-period v.c concentrate on the origin of single characters of which subspecies, spofies, genera and orders are by-products. Understand the origin, rise and fall u! a single adaptive bin-character and you will understand the whole story. “It does not detract one iota, from Darwin’s greatness as the founder oi palaeontology to say that modem palaeontology revolutionises Darwin’s concepts of the evolution process even as Darwin revolutionised Cuvier's palaeontology with its special-creation and successive creation-concepts. ’ ’ Dr. George G. MacCurdy, research associate of prehistoric archaeology at Yale University, reported the discovery of seven complete tools made of rock crystal by paleolithic man. This find, which is unprecedented, was made m southern France, near Dordogne, by the American School of Prehistoric Research, of which he is director, “The great bulk of Btonc-Age tools are made of Hint, hornstono, chalcedony and stone of like character,” Dr. .MacCurdy said. “By comparison implements of phcuocvystallino quartz (rock crystal) aro exceedingly rare. The chipping of tools from rock crystal began with Neanderthal man. lie was not an artist in the strict sense, but that he had an eye for beauty of form and colour is evident from even the limited use ho made of rock crystal, whicli is transparent, and may be with or without colour ”