Over 150 years since Charles Darwin’s revolutionary book On the Origin of Species was published, most think evolution is the most likely explanation as to how humans came to exist, although a significant minority of the British public still has alternate beliefs.
The origin of species: an anniversary
Next week will see the 151st anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by eminent scientist Charles Darwin. The book, which was published on the 24th November 1859, was extremely controversial at the time because it conflicted with long held theological beliefs about the role of God and the hierarchy of humans in comparison to animals.
Darwin’s theory of natural selection, based on evidence gathered during his travels, have long since become an accepted part of the scientific curriculum in various countries although controversy over the teaching of ‘creationism’ in schools is prevalent in places such as the United States.
See the survey details and full results here (cut from this longer survey here)
