Yesterday, I happened to be watching theCBS show, “Sunday Morning” and there was a segment about Darwin which, happened to include some statistics on evolution. Apparently, the number of Americans who accept evolution as scientific fact has yet to reach the 50% mark. Although the commentator didn’t go into the reasons behind these shocking statistics, it is shocking that in other industrialized nations, the numbers aren’t nearly so dismal. In 2007, the United Statesranked 33rd out of 34 countries with a percentage of 47%. This year, the numberfell to just 39%. Just 14% however, accept the fact that humans evolved over millions of years. Such widespread ignorance is not exactly news, but shouldn't increased access to scientific resources have had some effect?
Several years ago, a Polish friend of mine asked me what we did for Darwin Day in North America. I recall giving her a puzzled look. While I had always thought that celebrating Darwin and his discover of biological evolution was a terrific idea, I didn't realize that anyone actually did so. Not only that, but in Europe, the date is considered to be a very big deal!
So, in honor of Darwin (since we don’t celebrate this day in Canada or the United States), I’m dedicating today’s blog entry to Charles Darwin, without whom, I would most definitely be out of a job! It is my personal hope that his efforts will ultimately provide the answer to the most fundamental question in biology: “How did life originate on Earth?” If we can determine a range of scenarios under which life could arise, then it may even be possible to demonstrate a significant likelihood that we are not alone in the universe.
I first entered the field of astrobiology in 2002 as a student at the Pennsylvania State University, where I studied under J. Greg Ferry, Donald Bryant and Hiroshi Ohmoto. In 2005, I left Penn State for the laboratory of Jack Szostak at Harvard University before moving on two-and-a-half years later to start my own company, the Atlantis Astrobiology Research Institute (est. April 16, 2008). I am currently attending the University of Wisconsin as a NASA Astrobiology Institute PhD student in the department of Geology and Geophysics (under Dr. Nita Sahai). After graduation, I hope to complete my post-doctoral training at a NASA center and ultimately, create a proper research laboratory (for AARI) and an astrobiology museum in my home town of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
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