The idea of evolution might have taken off sooner if it hadn't been for the ibis mummies. That "correlation of parts" model made evolution impossible, because no species could ever survive the process. While Cuvier, Lamarck, and others debated evolution, Napoleon Bonaparte marched the French army into Egypt in 1798. Cuvier compared the ibis mummies to more recent specimens at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. "[Cuvier] continued the debate through to Lamarck's death -- even criticizing Lamarck's belief in evolution at his eulogy," said Curtis.

Source: Forbes September 30, 2018 04:41 UTC