Rhymes With Australopithecus
British poet Ruth Padel shares Charles Darwin’s DNA — she’s his great-great granddaughter. Inspired by the life of her (relatively) early relative, this descendant of the Descent of Man author pays tribute to her forefather in verse to commemorate the 150th anniversary of On The Origin of Species and the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth.
Darwin: A Life in Poems tells the naturalist’s life story in spellbinding odes like “Survival of the Fittest,” which describes his guilt over the death of his 10-year-old daughter Annie, who was the product of his marriage to his first cousin Emma:
You can also listen to Kurt’s full interview with Padel:
And poetry isn’t the only lyrical form inspired by Darwin’s theories. Science historian Richard Milner punctuates his lectures with Jimmy Durante-style tunes about Darwin’s findings. It’s all a part of his effort to humanize him: “Everybody has to find their own Darwin,” says Milner. “He’s so large, you can find yourself in him.”
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.