CHARLES DARWIN was fascinated by the many breeds of domesticated birds and mammals. His cataloguing of the unusual and sometimes bizarre varieties of pigeon was more than a hobby: he was an avid pigeon breeder, and devoted many pages of On The Origin of Species to documenting how readily the birds change their form when selected for unusual traits such as webbed or feathered feet.
The study of domesticated animals was a key pillar in Darwin's argument for natural selection. The changes he observed in pets and farm animals showed that artificial selection by humans – whether for webbed feet in pigeons or more milk in dairy cows – can quickly produce heritable changes from the "wild type" state. This provided a compelling argument that analogous "natural selection" by Mother Nature could produce similar changes and eventually lead to new species.
Darwin didn't limit himself to pigeons. Through correspondence ...
To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content.
