Hercules and Darwin were the protagonists of the Tales of the Mediterranean, as told yesterday in the CaixaForum by Enrique Macpherson (CEAB-CSIC).  Science and mythology were brought together last night to answer one question: Why are there so many endemic species in the Mediterranean?

Dr. Macpherson explained that the endemic species of the Mediterranean share specific characteristics: they are small; they are located on the seabed and they have reduced mobility, which hinders their dispersal.  It was in fact Darwin who theorized that this dispersal was an essential phenomenon in his theory of evolution.

Furthermore, the Mediterranean would not be what it is, without the entry of Atlantic water via the Strait of Gibraltar.  According to mythology it was Hercules who intervened to separate the African continent from the European continent.  This is where not two, but four "Pillars of Hercules" are located which form two natural barriers.  On the one side the two pillars of the Strait facilitate the entry of species from the Atlantic but on the other, the two pillars to the east of the Alboran sea (Almeria-Oran) prevent their exit from the Mediterranean.  This is how today the Mare Nostrum continues to be one of the areas on this planet with the richest biodiversity.
To delve further in to the contents of this talk, Elena Soto interviews Enrique Macpherson for El Mundo.