S8 Ep1124: Deconstructing the Myths of Darwin and Bird Evolution Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World Moss clari

The John Batchelor Show · Jul 13, 2026 · 11m

Deconstructing the Myths of Darwin and Bird Evolution Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World Moss clarifies the common misconception that Charles Darwin immediately recognized the significance of the Galapagos finches. In reality, Darwin initially failed to label his specimens by island and relied on ornithologist John Gould to identify them as related species. Ironically, Darwin used pigeons, not finches, as his primary example of evolution in On the Origin of Species. The segment also explores punctuated equilibrium, a theory by Eldredge and Gould suggesting that…