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(A) Empty vessels full of pottery from the Saqqara Catacombs, Egypt (photo credit Sally Wasef), (B) mummified sacred ibis wrapped in cloth (Metropolitan Museum of Art Photo Credit, New York), (C) a well preserved example from an unpackaged sacred Iberian mummy (the head and wings of the bird are clearly visible) and (D) a mummified sacred ibis dipped in resin. Credit: University of Queensland
A researcher from the University of Queensland discovered how a French scientist and an ibis researcher performed the first test of evolution over 50 years before the origin of Charles Darwin's species .
Dr. Caitlin Curtis, a researcher at the UQ's Center for Policy Futures, has discovered that the Sacred Ibis – a cousin of the Australian "bin chicken" – has become a central part of the history of the United States. Evolution when several mummified birds of Egypt in France in 1798.
"The ibis mummies were taken by Napoleon's army in Paris and played a surprising role in an early debate about the evolution," said Dr. Curtis.
"Two naturalists, Georges Cuvier and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, disagreed on the meaning of the Egyptian mummified sacred ibises.
"Cuvier took careful measures and determined that no change had occurred when comparing mummified birds with modern specimens.
"He went on to conclude that it was evidence that species could not change over time, opposing Lamarck's emerging evolving ideas."
But Lamarck disagreed, arguing that there was not enough time to see the differences and that environmental conditions should have changed as well.
"It was significant at a time when evolution was not yet an idea," said Dr. Curtis.
"Cuvier was a prominent scientist who had a lot of voice and power within society, and he continued the debate until Lamarck's death, even criticizing Lamarck's belief in his eulogy.
Dr. Curtis stated that it was a striking example of a powerful – but incorrect – scientist controlling the debate.
"This story and the lessons of the sacred ibis are as relevant today as they were 200 years ago," she said.
"The confirmation bias, where researchers' work is negatively affected by prejudices and pre-existing ideas, remains a problem within the scientific community.
"It reminds us that now, as much as ever, we need to be aware of the confirmation bias and the negative impact that dominant personalities can have on science."
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More information:
Caitlin Curtis et al. The debate on the sacred Ibis: the first test of evolution, PLOS Biology (2018). DOI: 10.1371 / journal.pbio.2005558
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