Michael & Young Darwin Statue

Michael & Young Darwin Statue
Originally uploaded by darwinsbulldog

Switching Over: The Dispersal of Darwin 2.0

I am switching The Dispersal of Darwin over to WordPress. I've been encouraged by some fellow bloggers, and it makes sense since I have another blog there already. Here is the new version of The Dispersal of Darwin, still with much work to be done regarding links/images in the sidebars and restoring videos in previous posts as well as formatting. But all new posts to The Dispersal of Darwin will now be at WordPress and not Blogger, so update your RSS feeds and blogrolls now!

Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Awards

Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Awards

The American Computer Museum proudly announces the Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Awards which will be presented by Dr. Wilson in person on April 9, 2009 in Bozeman, Montana to honorees whose scientific discoveries, inventions or work has helped advance the biodiversity of life on Earth.

Dr. Edward O. Wilson is Pellegrino University Research Professor in Entomology for the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Biography

Thursday, April 9, 2009 schedule:

1:30 P.M.: Free public forum at the Montana State University Brick Breeden Fieldhouse (no tickets required to attend) with Dr. Wilson, the honorees and special guests.

6:30 P.M.: Awards dinner by reservation only at the Montana State University Strand Union Building. For dinner ticket information please call (406) 582-1288.

Sponsors: Montana State University's College of Letters & Science   College of Engineering  Humanities Institute

Additional sponsorships are available for individuals and organizations from both the public and private sectors. For information on becoming a sponsor please call (406) 582-1288.

The six honorees are:

For exemplary scientific and public outreach work: Dr. Jane Lubchenco (Yes, that Jane)

For seminal and exemplary mathematical work with the development and applications of fractals: Dr. Benoît Mandelbrot

For seminal and exemplary engineering work with Ecohydrology: Dr. Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe

For pioneering and seminal scientific work with climatology, global warming and other aspects of atmospheric science: Dr. Steve Running

For exemplary scientific and public outreach work: Dr. Michael Soulé

For scientific work with thermal/hot spring microbial diversity, ecology and evolution: Dr. David Ward

Please click here for more information on the honorees.

Trouble with Blogger

When I add an image in a post and try to make the image a link to a URL, it doesn't work....

Anyone else who uses Blogger having this problem? 

Henslow's attendance sheet for Botany class

Henslow's attendance sheet for Botany class_0070
Originally uploaded by raphaelmazor

See 2 other photos from Darwin's Garden/Huntington Library...

Radio 4 celebrates Charles Darwin

From Times Online: 

Radiohead: Radio 4 celebrates Charles Darwin

The bad news for creationists starts here. The Darwin Season, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth (on February 12) and the 150th of the publication of On the Origin of Species (on November 24) means that enterprising programme-makers have an entire year in which to celebrate the life and work of the most famous naturalist of all, and Radio 4 is starting early, with two series starting this week and a third programme telling a thrilling tale of archaeological detective work. If other programmes along the line deal with Darwin's marriage to his cousin Emma - and consequent fears over hereditary illnesses, which didn't get in the way of his having ten children with her - and the remarkably simian appearance of his own forehead, then more prurient listeners will have little to complain about in 2009.

But for this week we will have to make do with Melvyn Bragg. The BBC's polymath of choice begins a special four-part series of In Our Time on Monday (9am), recorded in various significant locations in Darwin's life. In the first, recorded in Cambridge, Bragg discusses the significance of Darwin's three years at the university, where he trained for a career in the Anglican Church (in later years, after the death of his young daughter Anna, Darwin was to lose his faith).

Then, in Dear Darwin (Mon to Fri, 3.45pm) an eminent contemporary thinker a day writes a letter to the great man illustrating the ways in which his work has influenced their own - and fill him in on how things have progressed since his death in 1882.

Finally, Hunting the Beagle (Fri, 9pm) diverts from the scientifically academic to consider a practical matter - what became of the little ship that Darwin made famous.

For more than 160 years the fate of HMS Beagle has been unknown. In 1845 she was refitted as a static coastguard watch vessel used to control smuggling on the Essex coast - and this is where the biologist and maritime historian Robert Prescott believes she lies today. The programme follows Prescott's attempt to drill down into the bilges of a suspected wreck in the River Roach to extract a sample of Beagle-identifiable sediment. Yes, it would probably work better on TV, but use your imagination and it's still exciting.

In Our Time

Dear Darwin

Hunting the Beagle

Beagle Project "Ringing in 2009"

Happy Darwin 2009 to the folks over at the HMS Beagle Project! They have been kind to me over the last year, always plugging my blog on theirs and even sending me a graduation present...

Read their post "Ringing in 2009"

And help the project fulfil its plan to build the Beagle replica by either donating to their charity or purchasing something from their CafePress shop, like a coffee mug or book bag.

Happy New Year from The Dispersal of Darwin! (& Patrick)

Darwin Year Wishes from The Red Notebook

Richard at The Red Notebook (and Friends of Charles Darwin) posted today about the Darwin Year:

So, it's finally here: 2009. Darwin Year. The year in which the world will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest men ever to draw breath, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his masterpiece On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.

On thing's for certain: we're going to be hearing an awful lot about Charles Darwin over the next twelve months, ranging from the enlightening to the utter bollocks. Whenever there is a cause for celebration, there will always be party-poopers wanting to spoil things with their loud mouths and their Phil Collins collections.

There is an awful lot of nonsense talked and written about Charles Darwin by people with their own agendas. In this special double-anniversary year, I'm going to make one plea to you all: ignore the party-poopers. Don't gratify them by rising to their bait. Darwin's monumental achievements stand on their own merit, and nothing the party-poopers can say will take that away. Use Darwin Year to celebrate Charles Darwin and his legacy. There's an awful lot there to celebrate. So why not enjoy yourselves and party like it's 2009?

Have a great year. And keep it Darwin.

Happy Darwin Year to you Richard!

VIDEO: Evolution of Technology, From Dinosaur Robots to Modern Androids

This is an ad for a German electronics store: "The evolution of technology, beginning in the early stone age and evolving to the most powerfull technology of all times." Via Laughing Squid.

External Hard Drive

I need to get one to store thousands of photos and lots of short videos... any recommendations for a brand/type of external hard drive, under $100?

I've been saving photos/videos to CDs, and recently one disc of videos of my son is now not responding when I insert in in my laptop, which probably means I didn't burn the videos on it right (but I usually check that things go on discs when I burn), or for some reason the disc is worthless now... I need something easier and more reliable than the many CDs I have accumulated since my son was born...

Two Views of Creation

TWO VIEWS OF CREATION

a lecture by Sir Paul Nurse

recorded at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland

British Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse discusses how the 'creationist' view of evolution, as given by John Milton in his poem Paradise Lost, contrasts with the 'natural selectionist' view from Charles Darwin's The Origin of the Species.

Through this comparison, he sheds light on the ultimate successes and limitations of scientific knowledge.

Listen to the Lecture

  Lecture broadcast on Sun 1 Oct (duration: 41′06″)

British Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse compares two views of creation.

Download: MP3

[from Radio New Zealand National]

Hey Charly! The Song for the Darwin Bicentenary!

Hat-tip Mark Pallen

Paul Bettany Creation Movie Sneak Peak

"What's New" at Darwin Online

These were added to The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online between October 28 and December 17, 2008:

Notebook E: [Transmutation of species (1838-1839)] Text & image CUL-DAR124.- Text now available side-by-side with corrected images of the notebook.

Lyell, Charles. 1863. The geological evidences of the antiquity of man with remarks on the origin of species by variation. 3rd ed. Text A282

Notebook D: [Transmutation of species (7-10.1838)]. Text & image CUL-DAR123.- Text now available side-by-side with corrected images of the notebook.

Darwin, C. R. nd. Shot [Notes on shooting]. Text & image CUL-DAR91.1

Darwin, C. R. nd. the proper proportion of shot [Notes on shooting]. Text & image CUL-DAR91.2

Darwin, C. R. nd. Instructions for Young Sportsmen [Notes on shooting]. Text & image CUL-DAR91.3

Darwin, Francis ed. 1892. Charles Darwin: his life told in an autobiographical chapter, and in a selected series of his published letters[abridged edition]. London: John Murray. Text F1461

Anon. 1909. A visit to Darwin's village: reminiscences of some of his humble friends. Evening News (12 February): 4. Text Image A546

Malthus, Thomas. 1826. An essay on the principle of population; or, a view of its past and present effects on human happiness; with an inquiry into our prospects respecting the future removal or mitigation of the evils which it occassions. London: John Murray. 6th edn. 
Vol. 1. Image PDF A545.1
Vol. 2. Image PDF A545.2

Darwin, C. R. Notebook C: [Transmutation of species (2-7.1838)]. Text & image CUL-DAR122.- Text now available side-by-side with corrected images of the notebook.

Darwin, C. R. [1872.] Viaggio di un naturalista intorno al mondo. Translated by Michele Lessona. Turin: Unione. Text Image PDF F211

Wallace, A. R. 1895. Natural selection and tropical nature: Essays on descriptive and theoretical biology. Text A238 
Plus the text of 30 more supplementary items here.

Darwin, C. R. 1873. The expression of the emotions in man and animals. New York: D. Appleton. Image PDF F1143

Darwin, C. R. 1844. Naturwissenschaftliche Reise nach den den Inseln des grünen Vorgebirges, Südamerika, dem Feuerlande, den Falklandinseln, Chiloe-Inseln, Galapagos-Inseln, Otaheiti, Neuholland, Neuseeland, Van Diemen's-Land, Keeling-Inseln, Mauritius, St. Helena, den Azoren, etc. Translated by Ernst Dieffenbach. Brunswick: Friedrich Vierweg und Sohn. 
Volume 1. Image PDF F188.1 
Volume 2. Image PDF F188.2

Darwin, C. R. [1868]. The variation of animals and plants under domestication. New York: Judd & Co. Preface by Asa Gray. 1st American ed. 
Vol. 2 Image PDF F879.2

Darwin, C. R. 1871. The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. New York: D. Appleton. 
Vol. 1. Image PDF F942.1

Darwin, C. R. 1875. Insectivorous plants. New York: D. Appleton. Image PDF F1220

Darwin, C. R. 1877. The various contrivances by which orchids are fertilised by insects. New York: D. Appleton. 2d ed., revised. Image PDFF802

Darwin, C. R. 1881. The power of movement in plants. New York: D. Appleton. Image PDF F1327

Beagle Voyage Begins

From Today in Science History:

In 1831, Charles Darwin set sail from Plymouth harbour on his voyage of scientific discovery aboard the HMS Beagle, a British Navy ship. The Captain Robert FitzRoy was sailing to the southern coast of South America in order to complete a government survey. Darwin had an unpaid position as the ship's naturalist, at age 22, just out of university. Originally planned to be at sea for two years, the voyage lasted five years, making stops in Brazil, the Galap[a]gos Islands, and New Zealand. From the observations he made and the specimens he collected on that voyage, Darwin developed his theory of biological evolution through natural selection, which he published 28 years after the Beagle left Plymouth. Darwin laid the foundation of modern evolutionary theory.

The Beagle Project Blog shares the opening line of Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle:

After having been twice driven back by heavy southwestern gales, Her Majesty's ship Beagle, a ten-gun brig, under the command of Captain Fitz Roy, R. N., sailed from Devonport on the 27th of December, 1831.

Punctuation?

Punctuation?
Originally uploaded by Ben Cooper

"Presumably it's not a book by Darwin on how to cook one's wife?"

S C I E N T I S T in Bozeman

100_8825a
Originally uploaded by darwinsbulldog

Selecting one word from a local church's sign...

Edward Larson - From Dayton to Dover: A History of the Evolution Teaching Legal Controversy in America

Year of Darwin - Steven Austad (on longevity)