The facts of variability

My reflection, when I first made myself master of the central idea of the Origin of Species,’ was, How extremely stupid not to have thought of that!’ I suppose that Columbus’ companions said much the same. The facts of variability, of the struggle for existence, of adaptation to conditions, were notorious enough; but none of us had suspected that the road to the heart of the species problem lay through them, until Darwin and Wallace dispelled the darkness.’Many people were scandalized - some still are - at both ideas, evolution and natural selection. Our ancestors looked at the elegance of life on Earth, at how appropriate the structures of organisms are to their functions, and saw evidence for a Great Designer.