Biblioteca Darwiniana launches its edition of The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex

Following the publication in 1871 of The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, Charles Darwin culminated the public exposure of his theory of evolution.  In this work Darwin presents his ideas on human evolution, the position of humanity in nature, the close biological relationships with non-human primate relatives and the importance of sexual evolution. His primary thesis was that humans shared structural and physical attributes with other primates, a conclusion he reached based on data from studies of comparative anatomy, physiology and embryology. Anticipating the debates about the cradle of humanity, Darwin suggested in his book that our first ancestors had lived on the African continent, a conjecture that would be confirmed in the 20th century by the discoveries of palaeoanthropology. Darwin concluded his book by stating that of all the causes that had led to the differences in external aspects between human strains, and to some extent between these and lower animals, the most effective had been sexual selection. 

The launching will take place the 13th February 2020 at 11 a.m. in the “Charles Darwin” Hall of the Aulari Faculutatiu, located in the Burjassot Campus. The act will be carried out by Francisco Pelayo López, Scientific Researcher at the Instituto de Historia (IH, Spanish for Institute of History) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). He and Miguel Ángel Puig-Samper are responsible of this edition and the introductory essay of the book.

Francisco Pelayo López is Doctor in Biology by the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and researcher at the Instituto de Historia (IH, Spanish for Institute of History) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).  He has been linked to the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris 3). He has been Professor in Biology History at the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the UCM and Head of the Department of Science History of the IH (CSIC). He is author of the books Ciencia y creencia en España durante el siglo XIX. La Paleontología en el debate sobre el darwinismo (1999, Spanish for Science and Beliefs in Spain during the 19th Century. Palaeontology in the debate about Darwinism) and Charles Darwin. De la creación a la evolución (2001, second edition in 2008, Spanish for Charles Darwin. From creation to evolution); as well as co-author of the collective books Dictionnaire du Darwinisme et de l’Evolution (1996, French for Dictionary of Darwinism and Evolution) and The Reception of Charles Darwin in Europe (2008).