The Beak of the Finch

by

Jonathan Weiner

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The Beak of the Finch: Epilogue Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
It is March of 1993, and the Grants are back on Daphne Major. They are practically tripping over the numerous finches that are flying and darting everywhere, hopping on the ground before them and perching on their shoulders. There have been three El Niños in a row. It is the Grants’ 21st year on the islands, and more birds are breeding on the island than ever before.
After several decades of research on the island, the Grants are still continually surprised, delighted, and baffled by the island’s unique and unpredictable ecosystem. They remain connected to Daphne Major emotionally and intellectually, and they still often have no idea how the island will shock them next.
Themes
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The Interconnectedness of Species and Ecosystems Theme Icon
A 1993 poll showed that nearly half of U.S. citizens still do not believe in evolution. But scientists like Schluter insist that Creationists should understand that evolution is, indeed, Creation at work. When the Grants talk to strangers about their work without mentioning the word “evolution” those strangers are fascinated—but often, the minute the word enters the conversation, their faces turn cold. Darwin himself was surrounded by Creationists, yet he could not ignore the reality of evolution.
Here, Weiner points out the contradictions and setbacks that the field of evolutionary biology is still facing. Many people are unwilling to accept evolution as fact—but the book suggests that even those who believe in Creationism are able to see the undeniable facts that the Grants and their colleagues have brought to light. An ideological battle over evolution is still ongoing—yet it is, it seems, becoming more difficult all the time to ignore evolution’s visible impact on the world.
Themes
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Trevor Price, Lisle Gibbs, Peter Boag, Laurene Ratcliffe, and Dolph Schluter continue their research projects around the world. The Grants, meanwhile, have overseen two dozen generations of finches during their work on Daphne Major. No other human being has traveled as far along this line of research as the Grants and their many associates have.
The Grants and their students have made immense contributions to the field of evolutionary biology—they’ve achieved more than many even thought possible. Because these individuals understand key concepts about evolution’s ongoing nature, the natural world’s extreme sensitivity, and the impact of humanity on the world around them, the Grants and their former mentees have been able to watch the processes that govern life unfold with clear eyes and open minds.
Themes
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The original meaning of the word evolution suggests the unrolling of a scroll. The scroll, in the Darwinian view of evolution, is never finished being written—it’s still being inscribed as it unrolls, its letters composed moment-to-moment.
By looking at evolution as a process that is forever ongoing—not just in the fullness of time, but from moment to moment all around the world—humanity can perhaps understand how delicate and interconnected the world’s organisms and ecosystems truly are.
Themes
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Nature and Humanity Theme Icon
The Interconnectedness of Species and Ecosystems Theme Icon
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The Beak of the Finch PDF
Just as the finches were able to expand in so many different directions because they were the first to arrive on Daphne Major, humanity continues to radiate because we “stumbled into our new niche” first. Chimpanzees are making tools, though, and becoming more varied in appearance and disposition—and where there is genetic variation, there is room for selection and evolution. Life all over the planet, in fact, from primates to the inanimate molecules that live in the volcanic vents at the bottom of the sea around the Galápagos, continues to evolve.
This passage essentially suggests that humanity’s success as a species comes down to chance. Having “stumbled” into a niche that allows us to thrive was pure luck—now, humanity must contend with its status as just one species within a spectrum of continually evolving organisms. Life is changing all around us, and some things may even be changing within us.
Themes
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Now, humanity looks to the planets around us to see if we are truly the first—or just the first on this particular “island” that is our planet.  We are constantly calculating our changes and our futures, gauging whether we will be able to travel to the next rock, the next peak—or whether we will stay where we are.
Humanity has long considered its evolutionary stage to be fixed and final—but there may yet be adaptive peaks for us to struggle against and summit. Humanity is not exempt from the ever-changing landscape of the natural world and all the continuously evolving organisms within it.
Themes
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Geological surveys of the sea floor around the Galápagos show that there are lava cobbles, or stones of cooled lava, that formed above sea level clustered around sunken volcanic peaks. These lava stones, experts suggest, are 5 to 9 million years old. The volcanoes were once above the water, but they’ve now sunken back down—and new islands have taken their places. Daphne Major is a place that was here before us and will be here after us. But one day, it will sink, and something else will rise in its stead.
This passage demonstrates that the rise and fall of life is continuous, and it is taking place all around us. Through the book’s final lines, Weiner impresses upon his readers that the only constant on this planet is change. Even the Galápagos islands are a living representation of nature’s inevitable shifts over time.
Themes
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