Sentence:  Again the student of evolutionary biology will find a fascinating , if to our minds <WSD>grotesque</WSD> , anticipation of the theory of chance variations and the natural elimination of the unfit in Lucretius , who in turn seems to have borrowed the concept from the philosopher Empedocles . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal and hideous