In this issue of Hacettepe Journal of Biology and Chemistry, we would like to present our contribution to the celebration of one of the greatest naturalist of the history of science, Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th years of publication of his opus magnum, shortly known as “The Origin of Species”. Undoubtedly, starting indeed the evolutionary biology as a science and establishing its very basic tenet of the variation in the organisms as the object of change that may lead finally to new species, Darwin’s lasting impact and the heritage of the Origin mostly determines what we know of evolution both in the field and the laboratory. Though Darwin proposed strict scenarios of natural selection for the shaping of the organisms that varied, his plurality and deep insight has given impetus to a structure of evolutionary theory with great moves both with selective and nonselective dynamics such as random genetic drift that have accomplished a great deal to understand nature since the publication of the Origin 150 years ago. With fully acknowledging this arsenal of theory and practice, here we would like to present articles from the broad scope of scientists using evolution in their studies at different scales. 

In this issue of Hacettepe Journal of Biology and Chemistry, we would like to present our contribution to the celebration of one of the greatest naturalist of the history of science, Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th years of publication of his opus magnum, shortly known as “The Origin of Species”. Undoubtedly, starting indeed the evolutionary biology as a science and establishing its very basic tenet of the variation in the organisms as the object of change that may lead finally to new species, Darwin’s lasting impact and the heritage of the Origin mostly determines what we know of evolution both in the field and the laboratory. Though Darwin proposed strict scenarios of natural selection for the shaping of the organisms that varied, his plurality and deep insight has given impetus to a structure of evolutionary theory with great moves both with selective and nonselective dynamics such as random genetic drift that have accomplished a great deal to understand nature since the publication of the Origin 150 years ago. With fully acknowledging this arsenal of theory and practice, here we would like to present articles from the broad scope of scientists using evolution in their studies at different scales.

We are proud and to be honored that the Preface to this special issue is by Richard Lewontin, one of the greatest evolutionist of our time, founding father of molecular evolution and the great theoretical population geneticist who has contributed so much to our understanding of evolution and its social and philosophical perceptions. His preface was indeed written by him originally for the new translation of the Origin of Species into Turkish, which will be on bookshelves this year’s Fall. We are grateful that he has given us his kind permit to print its English original here in our journal also.

Evolutionary biology has been the subject of good use and abuse since its inception in 1859. History of evolutionary biology is full of examples of its abuse, too. Hence the infamous “social Darwinism”, being the brand name of that abuse that comes almost instantly to one’s mind. Although evolutionists have been working on subjects as diverse as the history and causation of parasite-host relationship and the protein folding in a detailed experimental/or field settings within the framework of testable working hypotheses, abuse and misunderstanding of evolution and Darwin have produced much confusion and conflict, too.