Galapagos: Nature's time machine  By Sarfraz Manzoor  The
stunning, isolated Galapagos Islands inspired Charles Darwin to
write On The Origin of Species. More than 150 years after its
publication, Sarfraz Manzoor goes back to the place where it all
began.  The sea lions of Espanola Island in the Galapagos are a
magnet for the cameras of visitors to the place that inspired
Charles Darwin. Photo / Supplied  The baby sea lion looked as if
it was sleeping, resting peacefully under a mangrove tree
seemingly hiding from the sun. I went closer and realised it was
dead - the third carcass I had seen on my first day in the
Galapagos Islands.  I had come to this archipelago of 19
islands, sprinkled nearly 1000km off Ecuador, expecting to be
startled by teeming life. The baby sea lion, like the dead
frigate bird I had seen earlier, was a reminder that nature is
as merciless as it is wondrous. The weak die and the strong
survive; this was Darwinism in the place that inspired Charles
Darwin to develop his theory of natura