你所不知道的達爾文
人物
作者：Christopher Klein 翻譯:海月
2月12日是英國生物學家、進化論奠基人達爾文的誕辰紀念日，這一天也被定為“達爾文日”。很多地方會在每年的這一天慶祝這個日子，向這位偉大人物致敬，並借此機會讓大眾更加了解進化論、以及演化研究在人類知識上的應用。如果你不想在這天和別人聊起這位著名的生物學家時答不上話，就快來看看以下十件關於達爾文的事情吧。
1
Darwin was born on the same day as Abraham Lincoln.
達爾文與亞伯拉罕·林肯出生於同一日。
Both Darwin and Lincoln were born on February 12th， 1809， but in much different 1）settings. While America’s 16th president was born in a rude 2）log cabin in the Kentucky wilderness， Darwin was born in a grand house on an 3）estate overlooking the River Severn and the 4）medieval market town of Shrewsbury， England.
達爾文和林肯都出生於1809年2月12日，但他們出生的背景大不相同。美國第16任總統林肯出生於肯塔基州荒原上的一間簡陋木屋，達爾文則出生於一座英國大宅，其所在莊園可以俯瞰塞文河和中世紀市鎮什魯斯伯裏。
2
He waited more than 20 years to publish his groundbreaking theory on 5）evolution.
達爾文等了二十多年才公布他那具有開創意義的進化論。
Darwin’s five-year voyage around the world on the HMS注1 Beagle， which ended in 1836， provided him with 6）invaluable research that 7）contributed to the development of his theory of evolution and natural selection. However， concerned about how the public and church would react to his new idea， he did not 8）present his theory on evolution until 1858 when he made a 9）joint announcement with British 10）naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace， who was about to go public with a similar concept to Darwin’s. The next year， Darwin published his work， On the Origin of Species.
達爾文乘坐英國皇家海軍艦艇小獵犬號環遊世界，並在1836年結束了長達五年的旅行。這次旅行為他提供了寶貴的研究素材，助其發展了進化論和自然選擇理論。然而，由於不知道公眾和教會對這一新思想會做出何種反應，達爾文一直沒有公布自己的進化論。直到1858年，他才與即將公布相似理論的英國博物學家阿爾弗雷德·拉塞爾·華萊士共同發表了一份聯合聲明。第二年，達爾文出版了著作《物種起源》。
注1：HMS是Her/His Majesty’s Ship（英國皇家海軍艦船）的縮寫。
3
Darwin suffered from unknown illnesses.
達爾文患有未知疾病。
For much of his adult life， Darwin repeatedly suffered from stomach pains， vomiting， 11）severe 12）boils， trembling and other 13）symptoms， particularly during times of stress such as attending meetings or making social visits. The cause of Darwin’s illness remained unknown， and attempts at treatment had little success.
成年以後的大部分時間，達爾文都飽受胃疼、嘔吐、嚴重的癤子、顫抖以及其他症狀的反複折磨，尤其是在壓力大的時候——比如參加會議或是進行社交拜訪。達爾文的病因一直不明，所進行的治療也收效甚微。