Originally Posted by jk (Post 24687)

Whoa, Marvin, Alfred Wallace was not just "some scientist," but the co-discoverer of evolution (along with Darwin). He spent many years in the jungles of the Malay Archipelago (and in the Amazon before that), and a letter he sent to Darwin included an article that he asked Darwin to review, which contained the first known written description of evolution (the idea of which came to him during delirium caused by malaria), prompting Darwin to write his famous book, On the Origin of Species. Darwin is remembered, but unfortunately Wallace is largely forgotten, even though he lived a much more exciting life.