One of the most controversial drawings in evolutionary biology. This is Ernst Haeckel's own drawing of a series of embryos, from the German first edit

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One of the most controversial drawings in evolutionary biology. This is Ernst Haeckel's own drawing of a series of embryos, from the German first edition of 'Anthropogenie', 1874, in original sepia/gold lithography. It shows three stages of embryos (in rows) of eight species (in columns from left to right); fish, salamander, turtle, chick, pig, cow, rabbit and human. His goal was to show embryonic similarities among species up to the point of evolutionary divergence. Haeckel's 'Biogenetic Law' sees embryonic development as parallel to evolutionary (phylogenetic) history - \ontogenty recapitulates phylogeny\". This persists in the lore that 'human foetuses have gills'. Many have charged that his drawing is inaccurate in a way that favours his interpretation and amounts to scientific fraud. As Haeckel was a proponent of evolution it has been repeatedly used to attack Darwin and evolution."

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Size: 4856px × 3685px
Photo credit: © PAUL D STEWART/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1874, abortion, anthropogenie, argument, artwork, baer, biogenetic, comparative, creationist, darwin, design, drawings, embryo, embryology, ernst, evidence, evolution, fake, fetus, foetus, fraud, haeckel, human, illustration, intelligent, law, ontology, phylogeny, recapitulation, religion, von