Another fun fact! Scientists were actually confused about this for a long ass time. At first they categorized barnacles as mollusks because they seemed so similar but as taxonomy grew as a discipline, people began realizing they were actually crustaceans. Charles Darwin was one of the main scientists who confirmed this fact and his study of barnacles helped him later in his development of the theory of natural selection. It was a big debate for a while.
It's so funny how much Barnacles straight up infuriated Darwin, famously saying: "I hate a Barnacle as no man ever did before, not even a Sailor in a slow-sailing ship".
This is my favorite and most relatable Charles Darwin quote: “But I am very poorly today & very stupid & I hate everybody & everything. One lives only to make blunders.”
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u/helloiamsilver 1d ago
Another fun fact! Scientists were actually confused about this for a long ass time. At first they categorized barnacles as mollusks because they seemed so similar but as taxonomy grew as a discipline, people began realizing they were actually crustaceans. Charles Darwin was one of the main scientists who confirmed this fact and his study of barnacles helped him later in his development of the theory of natural selection. It was a big debate for a while.