I had almost forgotten that yesterday was the 206th birthday of the great naturalist Charles Darwin, whose contributions to evolutionary theory represent a watershed in humanity’s understanding of itself and nature as a whole. International Darwin Day is recognized worldwide to honor his achievements as well as to celebrate the science and reason he helped further.

I do not have much time to get into the seminal importance of Darwin’s work — which I could only do so much justice to in a single blog post — but here is a cute image to commemorate the anniversary of his birth (courtesy of IFL Science and Ainsley Seago).

IFLS reminds us that all of Darwin’s work, including the decisive On the Origin of Species, can be read completely free of charge here. Enjoy!