Page 18 - Charles Darwin and His Magic Barrel
P. 18
Despite all their conscientious effort, nothing
remotely resembling any living creature will ever
come out of that barrel. No matter what they do
never will they get peacocks, sparrows, rabbits,
parakeets, horses, hippopotamuses, melons, tan-
gerines, roses, hyacinths, lime trees, cherries,
strawberries, bananas, coconuts, chestnuts, corn,
dates, figs, olives, lemons, grapes, apricots, squir-
rels, owls, ants or whales out of that barrel.
No matter what procedure they apply to that
barrel, the atoms and molecules in there will
never produce an Einstein or a Newton capable of
solving complex equations; a Picasso or a
Michelangelo to create artistic masterpieces; a
Beethoven or a Mozart to give joy to the human
spirit with the melodies they compose; scientists
who observe through a microscope the molecules
of which they themselves are composed; great sci-
entists like Thomas Edison and Marie Curie; tal-
ented actors like Humphrey Bogart and Charlton
Heston; or artists like Britney Spears, Ricky Martin
and Michael Jackson. These atoms will never pro-
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