The Dispersal of Darwin

Switching Over: The Dispersal of Darwin 2.0

2009-01-04T13:36:00.003-07:00

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

2009-01-04T09:33:00.006-07:00

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

2009-01-04T08:40:00.001-07:00

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

2009-01-03T14:29:00.003-07:00

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

2009-01-03T08:49:00.002-07:00

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"

2009-01-01T20:46:00.006-07:00

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)

2008-12-31T21:06:00.003-07:00

Darwin Year Wishes from The Red Notebook

2008-12-31T20:11:00.005-07:00

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

2008-12-31T18:40:00.002-07:00

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

2008-12-30T16:48:00.003-07:00

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

2008-12-29T16:09:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-12-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hat-tip Mark Pallen

Paul Bettany Creation Movie Sneak Peak

2008-12-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

"What's New" at Darwin Online

2008-12-27T12:35:00.005-07:00

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

2008-12-27T09:39:00.002-07:00

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?

2008-12-26T21:02:00.004-07:00

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

2008-12-26T16:07:00.002-07:00

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

2008-12-26T06:59:00.002-07:00

Year of Darwin - Steven Austad (on longevity)

2008-12-26T06:57:00.001-07:00

San Francisco Celebrates Darwin's 200th Birthday with "Evolve 2009"

2008-12-23T16:07:00.004-07:00

Press Release from the California Academy of Sciences:

SAN FRANCISCO (December 3, 2008) — Despite the fact that 150 years have passed since Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution by natural selection, most American adults still do not understand one of the basic tenets of modern science. In a 2007 Gallup poll, 66 percent of adults indicated their belief that humans were created in their present form within the last 10,000 years. To tackle this gap in scientific literacy, the California Academy of Sciences is leading a San Francisco city-wide celebration of evolution this spring, beginning with a kick-off party on February 12, 2009—the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth.

Throughout the spring, the Academy and other San Francisco cultural institutions, including the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, the San Francisco Botanical Garden, and the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, will host a series of evolution-themed programs and events designed to boost public understanding about evolutionary theory and its applications in modern science. The city-wide celebration, called "EVOLVE 2009," will include over 30 separate events and is expected to be the largest celebration of the Darwin anniversaries in the country.

The California Academy of Sciences is one of the world's preeminent natural history museums and is an international leader in scientific research about the natural world, including the distribution and evolution of life on Earth. During the "EVOLVE 2009" festivities, the Academy's scientists will share their perspective on Darwin—along with their most recent research about evolution—through lectures, programs, and a special audio tour.

"EVOLVE 2009" Events at the California Academy of Sciences
In addition to the scheduled programs below, visitors to the Academy will have the opportunity to take a special cell-phone-based audio tour beginning February 12 that highlights examples of evolution in action. Featuring more than a dozen stops throughout the museum, the tour will include classic evidence of evolution as well as new discoveries.

"EVOLVE 2009" Kick-Off Party
Thursday, February 12
6:00 – 10:00 pm
Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth by exploring the Academy's Islands of Evolution exhibit while sipping cocktails and grooving to the beat of an Om Records DJ. Academy scientists will be on hand to show off research specimens that illustrate evolutionary concepts, and biologists will offer party-goers the chance to touch a snake or learn more about the Academy's African penguins. At 7:00 pm, Keith Thomson of the University of Oxford will present an informal talk, "Who was Charles Darwin?"

Applications and Influence of Evolution: A Wide Spectrum
Lecture by Dr. David Mindell, Dean of Science and Research, California Academy of Sciences
Tuesday, February 10
12:15 and 6:30 pm
Dr. Mindell will discuss the broad applications of evolutionary science, from public health to forensics to conservation, based in part on his recent book, The Evolving World. Learn how evolution has grown from an unpopular curiosity to a set of concepts that are useful to society.

The Young Charles Darwin: Where Did He Get His Ideas?
Lecture by Keith Thomson, Professor Emeritus of Natural History, University of Oxford
Thursday, February 12
12:15 pm
How and when did Darwin actually form his revolutionary ideas? How did a quiet 27-year-old, who had been isolated for five years on a voyage around the world, develop the most provocative idea of the past 200 years? The concept of natural selection did not suddenly come to him one day in the bath (the way Archimedes supposedly discovered the phenomenon of specific gravity). In this lecture, find out how Darwin created his theory during a period of intellectual and social turmoil.

Patagonia and the Pampas: Darwin in Southern South America
Lecture by Dr. Gary Williams, Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, California Academy of Sciences
Tuesday, February 17
12:15 pm
More than half of Charles Darwin's book, The Voyage of the Beagle, refers to southern South America. From 1832 to 1835, Darwin traveled extensively in the Pampas and Patagonia. Williams will present a natural history of the region based on his own excursions over two decades, which follow Darwin's historic travels.

Leaping Lizards! Charles Darwin Explores the Galápagos
Lecture by Dr. Terry Gosliner, Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, California Academy of Sciences
Tuesday, February 24
12:15 pm
During this talk, Gosliner will provide an accurate portrayal of how Darwin's visit to the Galápagos shaped his ideas on evolution by means of natural selection. Popular mythology has distorted Darwin's immediate impressions of the Galápagos and their role in shaping his ideas about evolution. The Galápagos were an important influence, but not in the way depicted in most biology textbooks and popular culture.

Charles Darwin and the Heyday of Natural History
Lecture by John Dillon, History of Science Lecturer, University Extensions at Berkeley, SF State, and Stanford University
Tuesday, March 3
12:15 pm
Never has the status of science and scientists been held in higher esteem and never has the public taken a greater personal interest in natural history than in the mid-19th century when Charles Darwin was developing his revolutionary insights. During this heyday, no middle-class home was without its display of sea shells, butterflies, or stuffed birds—the home aquarium became fashionable, nature guides were bestsellers, and the first dinosaur theme park was built. Most of today's great public science museums, including the California Academy of Sciences, were founded amid this enchantment with natural history. Dillon will examine the irony of how Darwin's work was nurtured by this heyday, yet hastened its demise.

Collecting Evolution: The Untold Story of Darwin's Vindication by the 1905-06 Galapagos Expedition of the California Academy of Sciences
Lecture by Dr. Matthew James, Professor of Paleontology, Sonoma State University
Tuesday, March 10
12:15 pm
The 89-foot schooner Academy set sail in June 1905 and collected some 75,000 biological specimens from the Galapagos over 17 months. James will examine the historical background of the expedition, the lives of the scientists on board, why Darwin went to the Galapagos in 1835 on board the HMS Beagle, and the lasting significance of the 1905-06 expedition today with regards to species conservation and DNA studies.

Darwin, Dover and Intelligent Design
Lecture by Dr. Kevin Padian, Professor and Curator, UC Berkeley
Tuesday, March 31
12:15 and 6:30 pm
During this lecture, Padian will discuss his appearance as an expert witness in the 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover case, in which the court ruled that intelligent design could not be taught in public school science classes.

Evolution Statement from the California Academy of Sciences
Evolution is a central concept in modern science, including biology, geology, and astronomy. The California Academy of Sciences, with its broad mission to explore, explain, and protect the natural world, recognizes that evolution is fundamental to understanding biological diversity and is a critical organizing principle for both scientific research and science museums.

In biology, the basic facts of evolution, including the extinction and emergence of new species over time, were understood and accepted by the end of the nineteenth century. Charles Darwin identified natural selection as a primary mechanism driving evolution (that some organisms are more likely to survive and reproduce, thus their genetic traits will be inherited by future generations while other traits will be lost). Through selection, some life-forms thrive, reproduce, and adapt as conditions change, whereas others disappear. The detailed processes that create variation and drive natural selection became evident during the twentieth century with the discoveries of DNA and molecular inheritance. Twentieth century geologists also learned to use radioactivity to determine the age of the Earth (4.5 billion years), and astronomers discovered the expansion of the universe, measuring its age as approximately 14 billion years. Change is an inherent property of stars, planets, and life.

Scientists in many fields use evolutionary concepts daily in their research. In pharmacology and agriculture, these concepts are central to efforts to overcome the evolution of harmful organisms that have become resistant to antibiotics or pesticides. Evolution as the organizing principle for science museums has transformed the eighteenth-century collections of "curiosities" into modern museums of natural history. The California Academy of Sciences recognizes the importance of understanding evolution for both scientists and the public, and we emphasize that evolution belongs in school curricula and textbooks as one of the fundamental concepts of modern science.

LANCET: Darwin's Gifts

2008-12-23T15:47:00.005-07:00

Each December The Lancet does a special issue. This year it's dedicated to Darwin:

To commemorate in 2009 the bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth and 150 years since publication of On the Origin of Species, the 2008 Special Issue of The Lancet is dedicated to Darwin's life and work and the enduring legacy of his theory of evolution. Darwin's Gifts features a collection of 17 essays covering a range of subjects from 21st century eugenics to the representation of evolution in art. Listen to audio of Jane Godsland summarising the Special Issue. (mp3, 7:05 mins, 6.49 MB)

The Lancet, December 2008, "Darwin's Gifts"

Foreword
Steve Jones

Charles Darwin did not know much about medicine (and neither did any of his contemporaries) but he took plenty of it. Soon after his return from the voyage on HMS Beagle he was struck down by a mysterious illness. Much energy has been expended on deciding what it might have been—a supposed conflict between Christian belief and rationalism, a parasite picked up in Brazil, or even, some say, the obsessive swallowing of air. The great man's later years were marked by a series of bizarre attempts to remedy his feeble state (even if he did write that illness, “though it has annihilated several years of my life, has saved me from the distractions of society and its amusements”).

Darwinism's fantastic voyage
Helena Cronin, Oliver Curry

In the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, miniaturised doctors are injected into a scientist's body, on a last-ditch mission to save his life and the vital scientific breakthrough that would perish with him. From their diminutive submarine, the human body—so familiar to the elite team—becomes a revelation. The commonplace becomes the unknown, the strange, a source of wonder. As one crew member remarks: “We're going to see things no one has ever seen before.”

The Origin of Species
Richard Harries

We can easily understand why Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection has been so influential: it consists of a sustained, strongly argued case with enough vivid examples to convince educated readers without overwhelming them with too much technical detail. Ever since his voyage on HMS Beagle in 1831, Darwin had been reflecting on the issues and accumulating data, and the idea of natural selection as the great clue to nature had long been in his mind. But The Origin of Species was not published until 1859.

Art and evolution
Tom Lubbock

Charles Darwin found little use for art. In his introduction to The Expression of the Emotions in Men and Animals, he recorded his disappointment. “I had hoped to derive much aid from the great masters in painting and sculpture, who are such close observers. Accordingly I have looked at photographs and engravings of many well-known works; but, with a few exceptions, have not thus profited.” And it may seem that artists have returned the compliment, finding little use for Darwin.

Evolution: medicine's most basic science
Randolph M Nesse

The celebrations for the bicentennial of Darwin's birth will be grand for good reason. Darwin's discoveries are generating new insights faster than ever, especially in medicine and public health. Second editions of important books on evolution and medicine have just appeared, major conferences are taking place worldwide, and scores of universities now offer courses on evolutionary medicine. However, physicians are being left out. Most never take an evolutionary biology course, and no medical school teaches evolutionary biology as a basic medical science.

The evolution of fruit-fly biology
Ralph J Greenspan, Martin Kreitman

Throughout its research history, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has provided insights into the nature and role of mutation and genetic variation in evolution. More recently, it has also contributed to our understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms. Altogether, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the fruit fly has been the darwinians' workhorse.

Socioeconomic inequalities in ageing and health
Robert L Perlman

Socioeconomic inequalities in health are complex and challenging problems. Although the poorer health and shorter life expectancies of people in lower socioeconomic groups than of those in more privileged classes are not surprising, elucidation of the reasons for these inequalities has proven difficult. Some researchers have focused on the role of unhealthy behaviours, others have emphasised the importance of psychosocial stress, and yet others have called attention to material problems such as diet, housing, and occupational exposure to toxins.

Forebears and heirs: a sketch
David Sharp

In a collection of Darwin material lies a privately printed document from 1888 on Charles Darwin's ancestors, a painstaking inquiry drawing heavily on records of legal documents such as wills and property transfers. Confidence in information on the Darwin forebears arrives in the 17th century with a succession of William Darwins, one of whom married the daughter of a lawyer called Erasmus Earle, whose forename was to have several entries in the Darwin dynasty. The wife of this William's son was heiress to Robert Waring, two other dynastic names.

Synthetic biology
Henry Nicholls

It's intelligent design, but not as we know it. Scientist and entrepreneur Craig Venter's latest mission to design, synthesise, and activate entirely novel genomes could change the face of medicine. More than that, it will rewrite our thinking on the origin of species.

Darwin's charm
Peter Hayward

Think Darwin, think finches. That's the way it is. Charles Darwin left Cambridge University, set sail on HMS Beagle, headed straight for the Galapagos archipelago in the Pacific, and while pondering the improbable life residing there he saw the little brown and black birds with their differently shaped bills and “Eureka!”—the theory of evolution hatched right there. Darwin winged it home, wrote On the Origin of Species, and the rest is history. Had it not been for those 14 species of unprepossessing birds, humankind would still be languishing in some intellectual dark age.

Bold flights of a speculative mind
Andrew Bell

Until Mr. Darwin can overcome the strong evidence that undoubtedly exists adverse to his views, he cannot hope to carry conviction to the minds of those even disposed to accept the bold flights of a speculative mind. To those, on the other hand, who would require testimony of the strongest possible kind to substantiate views so utterly opposed to their conception of man's mental and moral attributes, and the responsibilities which the possession of them necessarily entails, Mr. Darwin's array of facts must appear quite inadequate, and his reasoning from them inconclusive, if not altogether false.

Darwin and the philosophers
Athar Yawar

Charles Darwin is widely venerated as the man who discovered evolution. But did he? When Darwin wrote, the theory that complex life developed from simple life, by material transformation, was already old: it had been advocated by, among others, his paternal grandfather Erasmus. Did Darwin, then, discover the mechanism of natural selection? No. His achievement was to propose that life—including human life—developed, and could be explained, solely by mechanistic forces, primarily natural and sexual selection.

Darwin's writing
Richard Horton

Unlike most of today's scientists, Charles Darwin's fame is based on books. In a series of extraordinary volumes—The Voyage of the Beagle (1839), On the Origin of Species (1859), The Descent of Man (1871), and The Expression of the Emotions in Men and Animals (1872)—Darwin reported his observations, explained his ideas, and amplified his thinking in ways well beyond the contemporary expectations of science. His books were neither summaries nor simplifications: they were the core of his originality.

Race, genetics, and medicine at a crossroads
John Hardy

Over the past 5 years, the technologies available to geneticists have advanced in leaps and bounds. It is now possible to analyse more than 500 000 polymorphisms in an individual on a DNA chip at reasonably low cost. These polymorphisms have been judiciously chosen, on the basis of human haplotype structure, to allow high-resolution surveys aimed at identifying any common genetic variability that predisposes to disease. Although the major driving force for the design of these genetic platforms has been the identification of disease risk loci, a task for which they have been extremely successful, their use is also having profound effects on other areas of biology and especially on population genetics.

Epigenetics in evolution and disease
Manel Esteller

We are not our genes. Genes are just part of the story. We cannot fully blame our genome for our behaviour and susceptibility to disease. In Lehninger's classic textbook for students of medicine and biology we can find a more accurate definition: we are our proteins (and our carbohydrates, fat, and so on). This more precise definition relates to the central dogma of molecular biology, that our proteins are generated from our DNA via an RNA intermediate state. These RNA molecules are translated into proteins.

Antibiotic resistance: adaptive evolution
George PC Salmond, Martin Welch

“Owing to this struggle for life, any variation, however slight and from whatever cause proceeding, if it be in any degree profitable to an individual of any species, in its infinitely complex relations to other organic beings and to external nature, will tend to the preservation of that individual, and will generally be inherited by its offspring.” Charles Darwin

21st century eugenics?
Nancy E Hansen, Heidi L Janz, Dick J Sobsey

200 years after the birth of Charles Darwin, his theory of natural selection continues to inform current practice in medicine and the related discipline of bioethics or health ethics. Although darwinian theory remains fundamental to the theory and practice of both disciplines, we contend that there has been limited critical analysis of the troubling notion that the common understanding of the “naturalness” of natural selection appears to be fundamentally disconnected from the daily lived experience of the human species.

REWRITING THE SYSTEM OF NATURE: LINNAEUS'S USE OF WRITING TECHNOLOGIES

2008-12-23T15:45:00.001-07:00

REWRITING THE SYSTEM OF NATURE: LINNAEUS'S USE OF WRITING TECHNOLOGIES

The aim of this 3-year research project is to explore these processes through a detailed reconstruction of the ways in which the naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) assembled, filed, and cross-referenced information about plants and their medicinal virtues. Linnaeus has been described as a “pioneer in information retrieval.” In particular, Linnaeus was one of the first to suggest that “natural” plant genera and families share similar pharmaceutical virtues, and that herbal drugs might be sought out on that basis. His manuscripts, held at the Linnean Society (London), provide an excellent opportunity to understand how information processing practices determine such ideas.

Learn more about this project here.

PLoS Biology: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives on Contemporary Biology

2008-12-23T14:07:00.003-07:00

PLoS Biology has begun a article series on Historical and Philosophical Perspectives on Contemporary Biology. Evelyn Fox Keller introduces the series in this article (PDF), and Diane Paul and Hamish Spencer start it off with "'It’s Ok, We’re Not Cousins by Blood': The Cousin Marriage Controversyin Historical Perspective" (PDF), which does mention Darwin and his wife/cousin Emma.

Blogging the History of Science

2008-12-22T14:56:00.002-07:00

I want to pull together what people may have written about blogging the history of science, and to what uses history of science blogs are for. I know of John Lynch's mega-list of history of science blogs and the recent essay in the newsletter of the History of Science Society. Please share in the comments!

Scientific American: The Evolution of Evolution (Darwin issue, January 2009)

2008-12-21T08:46:00.004-07:00

Scientific American's January 2009 issue, "The Evolution of Evolution," has much on Darwin and evolution, in print and online:

Evolution of the Mind: 4 Fallacies of Psychology Some evolutionary psychologists have made widely popularized claims about how the human mind evolved, but other scholars argue that the grand claims lack solid evidence By David J. Buller

Testing Natural Selection with Genetics Biologists working with the most sophisticated genetic tools are demonstrating that natural selection plays a greater role in the evolution of genes than even most evolutionists had thought By H. Allen Orr

Diversity Revealed: From Atoms to Traits Charles Darwin saw that random variations in organisms provide fodder for evolution. Modern scientists are revealing how that diversity arises from changes to DNA and can add up to complex creatures or even cultures By David M. Kingsley

The Science of Spore--The "Evolution" of Gaming A computer game illustrates the difference between building your own simulated creature and real-life natural selection By Ed Regis

The Latest Face of Creationism in the Classroom Creationists who want religious ideas taught as scientific fact in public schools continue to adapt to courtroom defeats by hiding their true aims under ever changing guises By Glenn Branch and Eugenie C. Scott

The Evolutionary Origins of Hiccups and Hernias How biological hand-me-downs inherited from fish and tadpoles evolved into human maladies

The Future of Man--How Will Evolution Change Humans? Contrary to popular belief, humans continue to evolve. Our bodies and brains are not the same as our ancestors' were—or as our descendants' will be By Peter Ward

Putting Evolution to Use in the Everyday World Understanding of evolution is fostering powerful technologies for health care, law enforcement, ecology, and all manner of optimization and design problems By David P. Mindell

The Human Pedigree: A Timeline of Hominid Evolution Some 180 years after unearthing the first human fossil, paleontologists have amassed a formidable record of our forebears By Kate Wong

Darwin's Living Legacy--Evolutionary Theory 150 Years Later A Victorian amateur undertook a lifetime pursuit of slow, meticulous observation and thought about the natural world, producing a theory 150 years ago that still drives the contemporary scientific agenda By Gary Stix

Dynamic Darwinism: Evolution Theory Thrives Today [From the Editors] The naturalist would approve of how evolutionary science continues to improve

SciAm Perspectives Why Everyone Should Learn the Theory of Evolution

Wall Street Journal: Alfred Russel Wallace's Fans Gear Up for a Darwinian Struggle

2008-12-21T08:23:00.004-07:00

From The Wall Street Journal (December 20, 2008):

Alfred Russel Wallace's Fans Gear Up for a Darwinian Struggle
Anniversary of 'Origin of Species' Nears; Rival Is Touted, Charges of Plagiarism

By TOM WRIGHT

MAKASSAR, Indonesia -- In January, Stanford University is conducting a $60,000-a-head journey around the world by private jet to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species." Taking in the Galapagos Islands and other sites of Mr. Darwin's research, the trip is one of several big events planned world-wide to honor him as the father of evolutionary theory.

But a vocal group of revisionists -- including a British cockroach expert, a former BBC journalist and a human-rights lawyer -- say the spotlight should be on another man: Alfred Russel Wallace.

Mr. Wallace, a naturalist who spent many years collecting bird and insect specimens in the jungles of Indonesia, was famed in the Victorian era as the co-discoverer with Mr. Darwin of evolution by natural selection. But his reputation languished in the mid-20th century as scholars focused their attention on Mr. Darwin. More recently, several books have attempted to resuscitate Mr. Wallace's name, and most mainstream scientists now regard him as the co-founder of modern evolutionary theory.

Hardcore Wallace backers say that isn't good enough. In a new book, "The Darwin Conspiracy: Origins of a Scientific Crime," Roy Davies, a former producer of science programs for the BBC, accuses Mr. Darwin of stealing ideas about evolution from Mr. Wallace -- who was corresponding with him from Indonesia -- and passing them off as his own. "Once you change the focus from Darwin to Wallace, you start to realize what a genius Wallace was," Mr. Davies says.

Read the rest of the article, which features George Beccaloni of the Alfred Russel Wallace Memorial Fund, here.

Darwin's Shrewsbury: Festival & Film

2008-12-20T14:55:00.002-07:00

Here's the website for the festival to celebrate Darwin's birthplace. And a trailer for the film:

12/20/08 President-elect Obama's Weekly Address: On the importance of science

2008-12-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Cambridge Darwin Collection - Cambridge University Press

2008-12-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Cambridge Darwin Collection - Cambridge University Press

Filming Creation in Bradford on Avon

2008-12-20T08:55:00.002-07:00

Filming Creation in Bradford on Avon
Originally uploaded by Andrew Eberlin

See more photos here.

Forthcoming Books about Richard Owen

2008-12-18T12:49:00.003-07:00

Richard Owen: Biology Without Darwin by Nicolaas A. Rupke (July 2009 from Univ. of Chicago Press):

In continuation of earlier research into the life and work of Richard Owen, non-Darwinian theories about the origin of life and of species are being explored. Current emphasis is on early-nineteenth century representatives of "Neither creation nor evolution, but the third way in thinking about the origin of species." [info]

Owen's Ape and Darwin's Bulldog: Beyond Darwinism and Creationism by Christopher E. Cosans (February 2009 from Indiana University Press):

With the debate between Richard Owen and Thomas Huxley on the differences between the ape and human brains as its focus, this book explores some of the ways in which philosophical ideas and scientific practice influenced the discussion of evolution in the years before and after Darwin's publication of "Origin of Species" in 1859. It also shows how this episode can shed light on current philosophical notions of scientific practice and how they in turn influence our understanding of the history of science. The book advances the current historical discussion of the Owen-Huxley debate by making clear that Owen's anatomical claims had much more support than most historians and philosophers of science assume.

Other Owen books from the University of Chicago Press:
On the Nature of Limbs: A Discourse
The Hunterian Lectures in Comparative Anatomy, May and June 1837

Charles Darwin Evolution mug from the Natural History Museum

2008-12-17T22:09:00.001-07:00

Charles Darwin Evolution mug from the Natural History Museum
Originally uploaded by carmen_seaby

BBC Darwin Season Launch in January

2008-12-17T20:45:00.003-07:00

Back in October I was contacted by BBC Marketing for my mailing address. They added me to the list of invitees to the launch of the BBC Darwin Season in London on January 20, 2009. Today I received the neat little invitation in the mail. Of course, sadly, I am not able to go, but it was nice to be invited!

Did any of my fellow Darwin bloggers receive an invitation?

By the way, in the fall of 2009, I may get to go to London. Talking with my advisor today, we decided that my research on Tyndall will necessitate a research trip to the archive of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, which holds a large collection of Tyndall material. Although we have access to the letters, I will need to see Tyndall's journals... What else could I possibly want to see in London or the outskirts of?

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-17T15:39:00.003-07:00

[NON-DARWIN POST] Reading in Montana @ Amazon.com

2008-12-17T15:33:00.003-07:00

My wife and I have a small used bookstore online and invite you take a look at what we are offering.

Still need some last minute gift ideas? Haven't started shopping yet? Please consider buying gently used books, DVDs and other media from Reading in Montana at Amazon.com. Reading in Montana is our family's home business (our butter for our bread). We currently have over 1000 items up for sale at reasonable prices. Most items qualify for Amazon Prime 2 day shipping or Super Saver shipping. Thanks for considering Reading in Montana!

http://www.amazon.com/shops/reading_in_montana

Interview with Adrian Desmond and James Moore about "Darwin's Sacred Cause"

2008-12-16T11:44:00.004-07:00

From the publisher's page for the book (hat-tip to Peter though):

What was the initial spark that inspired you to write a book arguing such a revolutionary thesis?

We asked the big question in our 1991 Darwin biography: "Why did such a rich and impeccably upright gent go out of his way to develop such a subversive and inflammatory image of human evolution? He had everything to lose!" But we only partially answered it, showing how Darwin covered his tracks and kept ominously quiet for thirty years on the subject, before publishing The Descent of Man in 1871. The question kept niggling: `Why did he do it – and why did he wait so long?’ We knew that contemporary radicals, Christian and otherwise, had opposed slavery, and then it dawned on us that the Darwin family's anti-slavery brotherhood beliefs could have driven the 'common descent' approach of Darwin's particular brand of evolution. About ten years ago our thesis began to jell. Jim was particularly interested in The Descent of Man, which no one seemed to have read. Why was two-thirds of a book supposedly about human evolution devoted to beetles, butterflies, birds and furry mammals? Darwin's answer was: to prove his theory of `sexual selection'. But why was sexual selection so important to Darwin? Jim's answer: because it was his prize explanation of racial common descent - why black people and white people looked different but were still members of the same family, not separately created species, as pro-slavery demagogues were arguing. Meanwhile Adrian realized how Darwin's work on fancy pigeons and hybrids, leading up to sexual selection, also served to undermine pro-slavery science. What’s more, Darwin had originally intended all of this to go into his great work on evolution, which was finally published as The Origin of Species - a book that everyone knows `omits man’. No Eureka moment for us, then, but a lot of loose ends came together to tie a gloriously satisfying knot.

2009 is the Darwin Bicentenary, as well as the 150th anniversary of the publication of his Origin of Species. Why has it taken so long to discover the moral motivation behind Darwin’s theories of sexual selection and human origins?

The Descent of Man hasn’t been read, much less read carefully. Over and over, scholars have called it `two books’ crushed together (and it is unwieldy, over 900 pages). That’s one reason. Another is this: only in the last generation have Darwin’s private notebooks, letters and marginal jottings become fully available. Without these, it was difficult to trace the development of his views on human origins. Above all, though, there has been great reluctance to see Darwin as more than a heroic `genius’ uncovering pure gems of `truth' beyond the vision of ordinary mortals. To most of his admirers, Darwin was a `great scientist’ getting on with a great scientist’s proper job, not a Victorian gentleman with a moral passion making all life kin by solving that contemporary `mystery of mysteries’, how living species originate. But historians today see Darwin quite differently: they emphasize the social and historical context that made it possible for Darwin or anyone to craft a theory from available cultural resources. One such resource in Darwin’s world was anti-slavery, the greatest moral movement of his age. Our thesis is that the anti-slavery values instilled in him from youth became the moral premise of his work on evolution. Many scientists and philosophers think that explaining genius and its insights as we do saps the power of science and, given the challenge of creationism, is an act of treachery. The reluctance to dig beneath the surface of Darwin’s books into the social and cultural resources of his times is as dogged as ever.

And why is Darwin’s moral motivation important?

This is perhaps the most radical and upsetting idea: that there was a moral impetus behind Darwin's work on human evolution - a brotherhood belief, rooted in anti-slavery, that led to a 'common descent' image for human ancestry, an image that Darwin extended to the rest of life, making not just the races, but all creatures brothers and sisters. In his family `tree of life’, all share a common ancestor. It’s vital to realize that Darwin’s science wasn’t the `neutral’, dispassionate practise of textbook caricature; it was driven by human desires and needs and foibles. Even our most vaunted theories - such as human evolution by a common descent with apes and all other creatures - may be fostered by humanitarian concerns. This throws all Darwin’s work - so vilified for being morally subversive - into an entirely different light.

How long did it take for the book to come to fruition?

Our gestation goes all the way back to Darwin in 1991, and to our separate but parallel interests in anti-slavery beliefs (in Adrian's case) among radical anatomists, and (in Jim's case) among the evangelical ethnologists that helped Darwin make his case for sexual selection. But we didn’t really get going on the project until ten years later, when we started writing the introduction to (and editing) the Penguin Classics edition of The Descent of Man. This was published in 2004, and by then we knew that we had only scratched the surface of a very deep subject. As the 2009 Darwin bicentenary approached, our work took on a life of its own, and after starting Darwin’s Sacred Cause about two years ago, we clinched the 'common descent' angle and pieced together how Darwin's research for the book that became The Origin of Species effectively combated the rising `scientific racism’ in America and Britain.

What sort of research did the book involve?

Loads. That’s number one. Everything we’ve done separately and together for decades got poured into Darwin’s Sacred Cause. But our new research was prodigious. Jim spent weeks one scorching summer in the English Potteries, ploughing through faded, cross-written, semi-decipherable Darwin family correspondence, literally thousands of letters and other archival materials. Most of his other digging was local, in the vast Darwin archive at Cambridge University Library, but a trawl of the National Archives at Kew netted the logbooks of HMS Beagle and other ships, which shed fresh light on Darwin’s face-to-face encounter with slavery in South America. Adrian meanwhile ransacked the esoteric breeders’ literature that Darwin read, on cattle, pigeons, poultry and the like; and he tackled the racist propaganda that riled Darwin, and much else besides. Darwin’s Sacred Cause may be one of the first historical studies to exploit the rich nineteenth-century sources recently made available on-line: for instance, newspapers from the British Library and the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers yielded wonderfully fresh contextual material for our thesis.

What do you think is the most surprising element of this book?

Our revelation that much of Darwin’s research over many years was about race. There was no ultimate difference for Darwin between a `race’ and a `species’, so his work on `the origin of species’ was also about the origin of races, including the human races - `man’ was never an exception for him. And while most of Darwin’s research was implicitly about human origins, the extent of his explicit interest in combating racist science is a real surprise. The fact that his most intense phase of work on racial questions came as the United States hurtled towards civil war, a war that the humanitarian Darwin dreaded, adds poignancy to the moral dimension of his research.

What sort of reaction are you anticipating from the scientific community? The history community? The evangelical community?

Many scientists will welcome a `moral’ Darwin’ to confound his religious critics; others will resent our polluting Darwin’s pure science with `extra-scientific’ factors and will declare his anti-slavery beliefs irrelevant. Historians may be more positive, if only because Darwin’s Sacred Cause locates Darwin for the first time on the well-trodden historical fields of transatlantic slavery, slave emancipation and the American Civil War. And those who study the history of `scientific racism’ will have a new Darwin to reckon with. Evangelicals may feel distinctly queasy, not least because William Wilberforce, the Clapham `Saints’ and others they revere as religious ancestors once supped happily with the freethinking Darwins and saw them as allies in the anti-slavery crusade. Darwin’s words, `More humble & I believe true to consider [man] created from animals’, will pose a challenge to every creationist.

What lessons does this book contain for the relationship between religion and science?

That `the relationship between religion and science’ never existed; that religion in science was the norm in Darwin’s day, and he never escaped its aura; that biological theorizing about human nature inevitably poses moral questions, and in so far as these questions have religious answers, to that extent `religion and science’ are inseparable.

When readers close Darwin’s Sacred Cause after finishing it, what do you hope they will be thinking?

`Gee, I didn’t know that about Darwin.’ `I never dreamt he cared.’ `Maybe evolution has something going for it after all.’ `Next time at the zoo, maybe I’ll drop in on the relatives.’

Charlie Rose: A conversation with curator Niles Eldredge (from 2005)

2008-12-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

Make a Charles Darwin Christmas ornament!

2008-12-15T09:10:00.001-07:00

Make a Charles Darwin Christmas ornament!
Originally uploaded by Colin Purrington

The three wise men

2008-12-14T11:26:00.003-07:00

The three wise men
Originally uploaded by c_nilsen

Carl Sagan, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein, of course. I got them from here.

Alfred Russel Wallace: Conference Talks & Commemorative Wall Plaques

2008-12-14T09:09:00.004-07:00

From the Alfred Russel Wallace Memorial Fund:

1. The talks and discussion given at the conference at the Linnean Society for the launch of the new book Natural Selection and Beyond: The Intellectual Legacy of Alfred Russel Wallace and to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Wallace's contribution to the discovery of natural selection. The talks:

Aubrey Manning: Introduction, followed by Peter Raby: Alfred Russel Wallace: The Evolution of an Unforgotten Naturalist [RIGHT CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD]

George Beccaloni: Wallace, Darwin and the Discovery of Natural Selection [RIGHT CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD]

Roy Davies: Wallace, Darwin and the Discovery of Natural Selection - a New Interpretation of the Events [RIGHT CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD]

Charles Smith: Wallace and Final Causes: Spiritualism, Evolution, and Beyond [RIGHT CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD]

David Collard: Alfred Russel Wallace as a Social Reformer [RIGHT CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD]

The DISCUSSION [RIGHT CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD]

2. The Memorial Fund also is presenting 55cm-diameter replicas of a plaque that feature's Wallace's profile to several institutions (and some others are purchasing them) that have "have an interest in Wallace:- ranging from the small museum at his birthplace in Usk, Wales; to the Royal Geographical Society of London (which facilitated his passage out to the Malay Archipelago); to organisations in the countries where Wallace collected natural history specimens (Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia)." For the history of the plaque and a full list of recipients/purchasers, see here.

► Note that the Fund is also giving one plaque away free to "a public organisation somewhere in the world which has an especial interest in Wallace's life and work. The organisation will have to guarantee that the plaque will be put on permanent public display. Applications should be sent to George Beccaloni [CLICK HERE] for consideration by Fund members. The deadline is the 31st January 2009."

class reflection Rene Pena Darwin

2008-12-13T10:03:00.001-07:00

class reflection Rene Pena Darwin
Originally uploaded by ronayne

"Darwin: The Story of the Man and His Theories of Evolution" by John van Wyhe

2008-12-13T09:49:00.004-07:00

This was on the back cover of a free issue of New Humanist magazine that I received in my mail... click on photo for detail...

Darwin: The Story of the Man and His Theories of Evolution by John van Wyhe

Darwin Year - Ronald Numbers

2008-12-12T09:21:00.001-07:00

Year of Darwin - Thomas Near

2008-12-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

Santa Darwin

2008-12-11T08:07:00.001-07:00

Santa Darwin
Originally uploaded by Colin Purrington

PODCAST: The Man Who Wasn't Darwin: Alfred Russel Wallace and the Founding of Evolutionary Biology

2008-12-10T15:26:00.002-07:00

Quammen's recent lecture on Wallace is now available online, here.

Alfred Russel Wallace, a contemporary of Charles Darwin, independently proposed a theory of natural selection in 1858 which prompted Charles Darwin to publish on his own theory. In his fall Stegner Lecture on November 5, 2008, David Quammen, prolific writer and current Wallace Stegner Endowed Chair in Western Studies at MSU, discusses this lesser known naturalist, evolutionist, geographer, anthropologist, social critic and theorist. (52 minutes)

CFP: Special Issue of Science & Education

2008-12-09T19:05:00.003-07:00

Darwinian Anniversary Year, 2009, a Journal Special Issue, Call for Papers

The year 2009 is a Darwinian double anniversary: 200 years since Darwin was born (12 February 1809) and 150 years since the publication of On the Origin of Species (24 November 1859). To celebrate the occasion a special multiple-issue of Science & Education will be published.

Researchers working on areas related to Darwinism and evolution education are invited to contribute to this special issue. Conceptual, theoretical, empirical or position-based manuscripts are welcome. Examples of topics may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Darwinism in the history and philosophy of science
Darwin's methodology and theorizing
Historical treatments of The Origin
Darwinism and politics
Darwinism and religion
Current status of evolutionary theory
Public understanding and acceptance or rejection of evolution, especially in non-Western cultures
Evolutionary explanations
Evolution and teleology
Research in evolution education
Evolution and the Nature of Science
Creationism and Intelligent Design
Cognitive barriers in understanding evolution
Rationales and strategies for teaching evolution when it is controversial
The teaching of evolution in cultures where Darwinism is rejected
Other appropriate topics

A number of prominent scholars are contributing invited essays. These include:

David Depew, History, University of Iowa: current historical studies of Darwinism.

Thomas Glick, History, Boston University: the comparative reception of Darwinism, with special attention to its reception in non-western countries.

Robert Pennock, Philosophy, Michigan State University: research relating to intelligent design and creationism

Michael Ruse, Philosophy, Florida State University: on Darwinism from a philosophical perspective.

Mike Smith, Medicine, Mercer University: contemporary science education research relating to the teaching and learning of evolution.

Paul Thagard, Philosophy and Psychology, University of Waterloo: cognitive and social impediments to acceptance of natural selection.

Submission Date: December 31, 2008
Anticipated Publication Date: November, 2009

Biodiversity on Charlie Rose

2008-12-09T13:04:00.001-07:00

Or watch it here if the video above is not working...

Wallace & Darwin in the latest issue of Archives of Natural History

2008-12-09T08:57:00.002-07:00

In the latest issue (Oct. 2008) of Archives of Natural History:

Alfred Russel Wallace, journalist
CHARLES H. SMITH
Archives of natural history. Volume 35, Page 203-208

To date little attention has been paid to how Alfred Russel Wallace's skill as a writer helped advance his career. Here, a small discovery is reported which contributes to such an understanding: Wallace apparently had a standing arrangement with a London magazine to provide eyes-in-the-field reports when he set out for Singapore in early 1854.

Correspondence of Charles Darwin on James Torbitt's project to breed blight-resistant potatoes
M. DEARCE
Archives of natural history. Volume 35, Page 208-222

The most prolific of Darwin's correspondents from Ireland was James Torbitt, an enterprising grocer and wine merchant of 58 North Street, Belfast. Between February 1876 and March 1882, 141 letters were exchanged on the feasibility and ways of supporting one of Torbitt's commercial projects, the large-scale production and distribution of true potato seeds (Solan um tuberosum) to produce plants resistant to the late blight fungus Phytophthora infestans, the cause of repeated potato crop failures and thus the Irish famines in the nineteenth century. Ninety-three of these letters were exchanged between Torbitt and Darwin, and 48 between Darwin and third parties, seeking or offering help and advice on the project. Torbitt's project required selecting the small proportion of plants in an infested field that survived the infection, and using those as parents to produce seeds. This was a direct application of Darwin's principle of selection. Darwin cautiously lobbied high-ranking civil servants in London to obtain government funding for the project, and also provided his own personal financial support to Torbitt.

Tonight (Dec. 8) on Charlie Rose

2008-12-08T12:13:00.002-07:00

On tonight's (Dec. 8) Charlie Rose:

Frost/Nixon II & Biodiversity
Monday, December 8, 2008

Part two of a conversation about the film "Frost/Nixon" with director Ron Howard and actor Frank Langella. Next a conversation about Biodiversity with Michael Novacek, Senior Vice President and Provost of the paleontology division of the American Museum of Natural History; Paul Nurse, President of Rockefeller University and biologist & author Edward Wilson

Charles Darwin Engraved Plaque

2008-12-06T20:09:00.001-07:00

Charles Darwin Engraved Plaque
Originally uploaded by StevenMiller

National Geographic: "Darwin's Secret Notebooks"

2008-12-06T16:57:00.003-07:00

From National Geographic:

Darwin's Secret Notebooks

Although Darwin's discoveries about evolution are well-known and just as controversial today, he didn't have a grand epiphany on the Galapagos islands or while exploring the globe. From his notebooks, however, a new way of thinking about life forms emerged, and this National Geographic program uses these writings along with aerial, landscape, and underwater photography to explain how Darwin's research (and species) evolved. 2008, 50 mins.

According to Amazon, this video will be available on February 10, 2009 (T minus 2 days).

The New Scriptures According to Tyndall, Darwin, Etc.

2008-12-06T12:26:00.003-07:00

I found this in the Times and Register of March 26, 1892, but I've seen it in other periodicals from at least 1875, one year after Tyndall's call for the authority of science and materialism - his address to the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Belfast:

THE NEW SCRIPTURES ACCORDING TO TYNDALL, DARWIN, ETC.

BY SARAH ADELE PALMER, M.D.

(GENESIS, CHAPTER 11.)

PRIMARILY, the Unknowable, moved upon cosmos, and evolved protoplasm.

2. And protoplasm was inorganic and indifferentiated, containing all things in potential energy; and a spirit of evolution moved upon the fluid mass.

3. And the Unknowable said, Let atoms attract; and their contact begat light, heat and electricity.

4. And the Unconditional differentiated the atoms, each after its kind, and their combinations begat rock, air and water.

5. And there went out a spirit of evolution from the Unconditioned, and, working in protoplasm by accretion and absorption, produced the organic cell.

6. And cell by nutrition, evolved by primordial germ, and germ developed protogene, and protogene begat eozoön, and eozoön begat monad, and monad begat animalcule.

7. And animalcule begat ephemera; then began creeping things to multiply on the face of the earth.

8. And earthy atom in vegetable protoplasm begat the molecule, and thence came all grass and
every herb in the earth.

9. And animalculæ in the water evolved fins, tails, claws and scales; and in the air, wings and beaks; and on the land there sprouted such organs as were necessary, as played upon by the
environment.

10. And by accretion and absorption came the radiata and mollusca, and mollusca begat articulata, and articulata begat vertebrata.

11. Now these are the generations of the higher vertebrata, in the cosmic period that the Unknowable evoluted the bipedal mammalia.

12. And every man of the earth, while he was yet a monkey, and the horse, while he was a hipparion, and the hipparion, before he was an oredon.

13. Out of the ascidian came the amphibian and begat the pentadactyle, and the pentadactyle by inheritance and selection produced the hylobate, from which are the simiadæ in all their tribe.

14. And out of the simiadæ the lemur prevailed above his fellows and produced the platyrrhine monkey.

15. And the platyrrhine begat the catarrhine, and the catarrhine monkey begat the anthropoid ape, and the ape begat the longimanous ourang, and the ourang begat the chimpanzee, and the chimpanzee evoluted the what-is-it.

16. And the what-is-it went into the land of Nod and took him a wife of the longimanous gibbons.

17. And in the process of the cosmic period were born unto them and their children the anthropomorphic primordial types.

18. The homunculus, the prognathus, the troglodytes, the autochthon, the terragen - these are the generations of primeval man.

19. And primeval man was naked and not ashamed, but lived in quadrumanous innocence, and struggled mightily to harmonize with the environment.

20. And by inheritance and natural selection did he progress from the stable and homogeneous to the complex and heterogeneous; for the weakest died, and the strongest grew and multiplied.

21. And man grew a thumb, for that he had need of it, and developed capacities for prey.

22. For behold, the swiftes men caught the most animals, and the swifest animals got away from the most men; wherefore, the slow animals were eaten, and the slow men starved to death.

23. And as types were differentiated, the weaker types continually disappeared.

24. And the earth was filled with violence; for man strove with man and tribe with tribe, whereby they killed off the weak and foolish, and secured the survival of the fittest.

------------------------------

Cross-posted at Transcribing Tyndall.

"Greedy for facts": Charles Darwin's information needs and behaviors

2008-12-06T08:47:00.002-07:00

This Ph.D. dissertation goes well with Janet Browne's recent talk on Charles Darwin and the Natural Economy of Households:

"Greedy for facts": Charles Darwin's information needs and behaviors
by Currier, James David, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 2007, 318 pages; AAT 3270193

Abstract (Summary) Aptly describing himself as "greedy for facts" and exercising "industry in observing and collecting facts", Charles Darwin passionately sought and assiduously organized, managed, communicated, and used information throughout his life. From a 21st-century information age perspective, Darwin can be seen as a pre-Melvil Dewey, multidisciplinary, Victorian era proto-information manager, whose skillfully-employed information behaviors were fundamental to realizing his seminal Origin of Species (1859) and in influencing his life-long scientific development. A large body of research about Darwin exists but little has been written in the library and information science (LIS) field regarding Darwin and his pivotal relationship with information. Human information behavior (HIB) is an emerging LIS subfield, which has principally studied the information needs and information seeking behaviors of modern era human beings. Cambridge University is the foremost provider of print and electronic access to more than 14,000 transcribed and edited extant letters written by and to Darwin. Using historical case study methodology, this dissertation applies an HIB-oriented approach to investigate and inventory Darwin's information needs and behaviors through analysis of his surviving correspondence and other primary and secondary Darwin-related scholarly sources. A general framework is developed, designating five interrelated, broad context information behavior (BCIB) classification categories for conceptualizing Darwin's information behavior roles: as information seeker, organizer, manager, communicator, and user. In the vein of Ellis et al.'s (1993) study designating eight information seeking behaviors exhibited by contemporary British scientists, this dissertation utilizes grounded theory to derive and explain more than fifty descriptive information behaviors (DIBs) exhibited by Darwin. DIBs are conceptual constructs which are used to specify and describe, via words and examples from Darwin's correspondence and writings, the relevant characteristics and nuances of his diverse information behaviors. A case study examines and explicates the crucial ways in which Darwin's information behaviors proved instrumental in preserving priority for his evolutionary ideas during a crisis period involving rival evolutionary theorist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1858. An information-related timeline of Darwin's life, graphic models, and digital photographs illustrating his information behaviors are presented. Limitations of the study and areas for further research are also discussed.

Painting Charles Darwin with species

2008-12-05T21:32:00.001-07:00

Painting Charles Darwin with species
Originally uploaded by Chris-Ecuador

Blog for Darwin: Feb 12th-15th, 2009 Blog Swarm

2008-12-04T21:26:00.003-07:00

Click on image for information...

Year of Darwin - Thomas Near

2008-12-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Year of Darwin - Richard Katskee and Lauri Lebo

2008-12-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

Kevin Padian on Evolution and Creationists

2008-12-02T18:58:00.007-07:00

Kevin Padian has a new article in a French biology journal: "The evolution of creationists in the United States: Where are they now, and where are they going?" (Hat-tip to Kevin Z.), and a video on FORA.tv called "Investigating Evolution." Enjoy...

The Knife Writing Darwin-Inspired Opera

2008-12-02T15:09:00.001-07:00

From Pitchfork:

The Knife Writing Darwin-Inspired Opera

I'll bake the cake, you round up the candles: November 2009 marks the 150th birthday of Charles Darwin's epochal evolution text On the Origin of Species. And who better to commemorate the occasion than, okay, the Knife! With an opera??

...

The piece is set to debut in Copenhagen in November 2009, and takes as its inspiration Darwin's thoughts on evolution, change, transformation, and mutation.

Another Evolution Blog: Fresno, Evolving

2008-12-02T12:22:00.002-07:00

It's been around a while, but it's new to me: Fresno, Evolving: A view of evolution from the great Central Valley of California.

Case Western Reserve University's Year of Darwin Lecture Series

2008-12-01T10:38:00.003-07:00

Keep up with the Year of Darwin lecture series from Case Western Reserve University here or here.

Year of Darwin - Gary Litman

2008-12-01T10:35:00.001-07:00

Year of Darwin - John Holland

2008-12-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Year of Darwin - Robert Richards

2008-12-01T10:32:00.001-07:00

Langdon Smith's "Evolution, A Fantasy" (1909)

2008-12-01T10:19:00.002-07:00

I saw this poem up on eBay, but searched it on Internet Archive, and found it there:

Langdon Smith. Evolution: A Fantasy (Boston: John W. Luce and Company, 1909)

Darwin Issue of Nature Wanted

2008-11-30T18:55:00.003-07:00

UPDATE: I received a copy of the issue already. Thank you very much, Fred!

I missed getting the recent issue of Nature with the cover story on Darwin from my local bookstores, but would love to have a copy. I would send someone the cost of shipping if you were not planning on keeping it...

Darwin-related trojan email warning

2008-11-30T07:17:00.003-07:00

[I'm sharing this from The Beagle Project Blog, but I received a comment here on DoD from this person, so I rejected it]

Darwin-related trojan email warning. Beagle blogger Richard has just sent this through:

"A word of warning. Early this morning I received an email saying the following

l-a-m-b-s-t-a-r-p-i-e-@-a-o-l-.-c-o-m [dashes added for safety]

hello. I'd like to offer my Darwin Souvenir pillows or photo on the site.. can you tell me where the place would be to best show this art to a needing public?

thank you,
arribella pellicano

It contained a frankly bizarre attachment "origin of the species.bmp" showing a pillow with an image on it of a woman's naked torso and what appears to be a child wearing a chimp mask. Who is this joker? I thought."

So anyone who's blogging or has Darwin content on their website, watch out for this one.

LECTURE: Darwin and Huxley’s disagreement over taxonomy’s connection to evolution

2008-11-28T13:50:00.002-07:00

From LINNEAN-NEWS:

Darwin and Huxley’s disagreement over taxonomy’s connection to evolution
Polly Winsor FLS

Lecture at the Linnean Society of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BF
Thursday 4th December, 6.00pm

In 1857 T. H. Huxley wrote to Charles Darwin about the logical relationship between taxonomy and evolution, asserting that classification was a free-standing statement of similarities, quite independent of history, to which Darwin responded with the view that once his theory was accepted, most naturalists would prefer classifications that reflected ancestry. Their short and private exchange suggests a cascade of questions, running backwards and forwards in time and ranging from simple matters of fact to subtle matters of historiography. What was it in the reading and experience of these two men that led them to opposite sides of a basic issue in the philosophy of science? Was their disagreement known by any of their contemporaries, or did they suppress it in the interests of promoting evolution? Were their views handed down to later disputants, or do modern debates bear merely an analogical resemblance to this Victorian conversation?

Tea will be served in the Library from 5.30pm and the lecture will be followed by a wine reception. This meeting is free and open to all, registration is not necessary.

Year of Darwin - Neil Shubin

2008-11-27T19:15:00.001-07:00

Year of Darwin - David Quammen

2008-11-27T19:10:00.001-07:00

Year of Darwin - Richard M. Hazen

2008-11-27T19:02:00.001-07:00

Year of Darwin - Sean B. Carroll

2008-11-27T19:00:00.001-07:00

Year of Darwin - Judge John E. Jones III

2008-11-27T18:59:00.001-07:00

DARWIN ANNIVERSARY - SPECIAL BULLETIN 1

2008-11-27T15:15:00.002-07:00

From an email from BSHS's Outreach and Education Committee (2008/11/27):

BRITISH SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE
OUTREACH AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE

DARWIN ANNIVERSARY - SPECIAL BULLETIN 1
1.) Cambridge Darwin Festival - July 2009
2.) Natural History Museum - Darwin 200
3.) British Council Darwin Now Awards - deadline 5th December
4.) Darwin Correspondence Project Teaching Resources - online now
5.) Wellcome Trust Evolution resources
6.) Darwin's 'Birthday Party' - Birmingham - 7th February
7.) Darwin Online events calendar

**********************************************
1.) CAMBRIDGE DARWIN FESTIVAL
The Cambridge Darwin Festival takes place from 5-10 July 2009. It will be afestival of science, society, literature, history, philosophy, theology,art and music arising from the writings, life and times of Charles Darwinpresented through talks, discussions, performances, workshops, exhibitionsand tours.

Further details: http://www.darwin2009.cam.ac.uk/

**********************************************
2.) NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
DARWIN EXHIBITION http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/darwin/index.html
DARWIN 200 http://www.darwin200.org/

**********************************************
3.) BRITISH COUNCIL DARWIN NOW AWARDS
Are you a researcher, artist or writer, interested in the natural world and have a small-scale project you want to develop outside the UK?

The Darwin Now awards offer small grants to allow individuals working in the sciences, humanities, arts and media, the opportunity to pursue a stand-alone piece of fieldwork/research outside the UK.

Even 150 years since the publication of On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin and evolutionary theory continues to inspire debate about science, religion and society.

In recognition of the strong contribution made by individuals working in new environments and sharing their ideas with new audiences the British Council, are offering UK based researchers, artists and writers the opportunity to spend time doing fieldwork in another country.

The awards are to support an individual's research project relating to Darwin, his legacy, evolutionary theory, or biodiversity. It must be a stand-alone piece of fieldwork/research which results in a clear outcome, for example: a published paper, a book, or an exhibition.

Up to £5000 is available for each award as a contribution towards travel and subsistence and any consumable equipment costs.

The awards are available to individuals at any stage in their professional career. Applicants can be from any area of research or the arts. The proposed fieldwork does not have to be part the individual's wider work and should be a project that they are unlikely to receive funding for from other sources.

It should be an innovative and novel proposal with ambitious but achievable outcomes, which could take into account possible wider cultural implications. The project could be an idea that the applicant has wanted to pursue but has not had the opportunity, possibly building on previous work.

*How to apply*

The Darwin Now Awards will be assessed in a two-stage process.

To enter the first stage please submit a completed Proposal Application form and CV electronically to Darwin@britishcouncil.org

Applicants will be notified of the second stage procedure if they are successful in the first stage.
Proposal Applications can be submitted at any time before 5 December 2008.

Find out about the award conditions here: http://www.britishcouncil.org/darwin_now_awards_conditions_final.pdf

And download a Proposal Application form from the website: http://www.britishcouncil.org/science-darwin-now-awards.htm

For more information on the Darwin awards please contact: Darwin@britishcouncil.org

**********************************************
4.) DARWIN CORRESPONDENCE PROJECT TEACHING RESOURCES
A set of teaching resources has recently been made available on the DarwinCorrespondence Project's website (http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/).

These are suitable for use in science, history, religion, gender studies or literature classes. Darwin's letters make excellent sources for teaching in a wide variety of subjects. Short letter-sets have been prepared on various topics, such as species theory, beauty, class and gender relations, friendship, and scientific controversy. These materials, together with a brief introduction, discussion questions, and a list of further reading, are now available.

**********************************************
5.) WELLCOME TRUST - FREE EVOLUTION EDUCATION RESOURCES
To mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, The Wellcome Trust is commissioning and funding two major national education initiatives, with free activities available for all Primary and Secondary UK state schools from March 09.

The resources are primarily designed for use by schools, but Wellcome are keen to encourage anyone with an interest in science education and engagement to adapt and use the resources in 2009 and beyond.

* For 5 -11 year olds we have 'The Great Plant Hunt following inDarwin's footsteps', delivered by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

A 'treasure chest' packed with everything needed to help children followin the footsteps of Darwin will be sent to primary schools in March2009. Through a series of simple and fun activities children will learnkey scientific skills through exploring habitats, collecting seeds,growing plants and going on nature walks around their school grounds andelsewhere.

Details about the activities are already available at www.greatplanthunt.org and a wealth of resources will be available on the site early next year in the run up to the chests being sent to schools.

From the website, anyone will be able to download the comprehensive education packs, use the animations and video clips, and take part in the mass participation activities.

As part of the Great Plant Hunt, Kew are also developing resources to help organisations to run their own Thinking Walk activities for 5-11 year olds. These will be suitable for museums, parks, gardens - anywhere with a reasonable area of outside space - to help their visitors to get involved in 2009 and beyond.

*For Secondary schools we have 'Survival Rivals - experiments inspiredby Darwin', delivered by Phillip Harris and Guardian Professional*

Three experiment kits for 11-19 year olds will be available, eachtailored to different age groups. Teachers will be able to order kits toenable their students to carry out Darwin-inspired experiments:

* 'I'm a worm get me out of here' - natural selection in predator-preyrelationships (using 'spaghetti worms' and wild birds), for 11-14s* 'Brine Date' - sexual selection and mate choice in brine shrimp, for14-16s* 'The X-Bacteria' - evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria for16+
Again, anyone will be able to download the education packs containingfull details of the activities and CPD support, and use the interactivesand videos available on the website www.survivalrivals.org from early2009.

For further details about these and other Darwin-themed activitiessupported by the Wellcome Trust visit: www.wellcome.ac.uk/darwin200 orcontact Amy Sanders via darwin200@wellcome.ac.uk

**********************************************
6. DARWIN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY - BIRMINGHAM - SAT 7TH FEB
Darwin's Birthday at Birmingham: Evolution resources for teachers

As part of the year of Darwin at the University of Birmingham, and in Collaboration with the University of Worcester and the ASE (West Midlands Region), a Darwin's Birthday party will be held for teachers on Saturday 7th February 2009, 10 am - 3.30 pm. The event will include developing easy to use, exciting and free resources for teaching Evolution in Schools. The range of National events and high profile of Evolution will generate increased attention in the class room. The aim of the day is to share good practice in the teaching and learning of evolution.

Format

The day will consist of a series of presentations from University staff outlining the relevance of Evolution in the modern context. Seminars will then outline some of the strategies and solutions being developed in the School of Biosciences. A series of hands on practical session will allow teachers to 'road test' some of the approaches, providing feedback on the content and informed advice on delivery in the class room. In the light of the session the resources will be appropriately modified and the refined resources made available though web and CD routes to participants.

At the end of the day: * New information will have been provided about the relevance of evolution in the modern context.

* The challenges facing teaching of evolution and ideas of best practice to overcome these have been identified.
* Teachers will have used some practical resources being developed at Birmingham and considered using them in their own teaching
Practical matters:
* The event will run in the School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham.
* The numbers are limited to 20-50 teachers.
* The event will be free, but a £10 returnable deposit to Jeremy Pritchard is requested.
* Comments and initial expression of interest to J.Pritchard@bham.ac.uk
Contact: Dr Jeremy Pritchard. J.pritchard@bham.ac.uk , 0121 414 5570, www.biosciences.bham.ac.uk/

**********************************************
7. DARWIN ONLINE EVENTS CALENDAR

There is an online calendar of international events and related publications being kept updated at the Darwin Online website:
http://www.darwin-online.org.uk/2009.html

**********************************************

HMS Beagle Trust at a boat show

2008-11-27T14:42:00.002-07:00

HMS Beagle model
Originally uploaded by a_faherty

See more photos here.

Winners of the Darwin Limerick Contest!

2008-11-27T09:50:00.006-07:00

With the help of some fellow Darwin bloggers (who did not enter the contest), I have decided on the winners of the Darwin Limerick Contest. Here again are the prizes:

1st place: A signed copy of David Quammen's The Reluctant Mr. Darwin (hardcover). Remember, Quammen is connected with my history department, so it's absolutely authentic.

2nd place: DVD of the 2 hour episode of PBS's Evolution, "Darwin's Dangerous Idea," and Peter J. Bowler's Charles Darwin: The Man and His Influence (softcover, 1990). The book is a second copy of mine, but in very good condition, and the DVD was mine also, but I no longer need it now that I own the entire Evolution series.

3rd place: Charles Darwin: On Evolution, edited by Thomas F. Glick and David Kohn (softcover, 1996). This is a second copy of mine. Some shelf wear and a cover crease, but in nice shape.

And the winners (out of 32 entries total) are:

1st place: Cuttlefish, with:

The object of all my affection
Just told me I failed her inspection!
So I guess that this means
It’s the end for my genes—
There’s a downside to natural selection!

2nd place: TT. France (from UK), with:

I’m frustrated and bored on this ship,
Out at sea with no specimens -- zip!
And that rig-swinging crew --
They’re like apes in a zoo!
I fear nothing will come of this trip.

3rd place: Jim Pettit, with:

Many people still heap persecution
On those who espouse evolution.
Forgive such assault;
Is it really their fault
They've evolved with their brains Lilliputian?

Please contact me (darwinsbulldog AT gmail DOT com) to give me your mailing address. Some runners up were:

Adrian Thysse, with:

There was a young man from Shrewsbury
Who seldom did anything newsworthy.
Till one opportune day
He sailed away
On a Beagle known to be sea-worthy.

Cuttlefish, with:

While still a young man, Darwin went
On a trip—and the curious gent,
From the fractions of inches
Twixt beaks of his finches
Inferred there was common descent!

Bjørn Østman, with:

There once was a man named Chuck
Who said my cousin's a duck
But that cannot be
My cousin you see
Is a baptist from Virginia Kentuck

Darwin's Sacred Cause: Book Launch

2008-11-26T13:45:00.002-07:00

February 9, 2009 at Great Hall, Sherfield Building, South Kensington Campus. From Imperial College London:

As part of celebrations of Darwin's bicentenary, Imperial College London and Pengiun books are co-hosting the book launch of Darwin's Sacred Cause: race, emancipation and the quest for human origins.

Join evolutionary biologist and journalist Olivia Judson in conversation with Adrian Desmond and James Moore, co-authors of a groundbreaking re-evaluation of Darwin's science and ideas, for an evening of lively debate, discussion and discovery, as part of Imperial College London's Darwin200 celebrations.

The event is co-hosted by Imperial College London and Penguin books. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase.

Entry is by ticket only. Email your name and full contact address details to events@imperial.ac.uk.

New insights from fresh and untapped sources have driven Darwin scholars Desmond and Moore to re-think the basis of Darwin’s theories. Their new book, Darwin’s Sacred Cause, gives a new explanation of how Darwin reached his views on human origins. Published for the worldwide Darwin celebrations of 2009 – the bicentenary of his birth and the 150th anniversary of the Origin of Species – this book restores the moral core of Darwin’s work by recovering its lost historical context.

Through massive detective work among unpublished Darwin letters, unplumbed family correspondence and newly discovered Darwin reading lists, as well as diaries, ships' logs, and dozens of official documents and rare contemporary works on race relations and humans origins, the authors back up their compelling claim: Darwin began his career committed to the unity of the human family; his science flowed from the greatest moral movement of his age.

Adrian Desmond, co-author with James Moore of the seminal Darwin, has published five other books on evolution, including Huxley, a life of Darwin’s ‘bulldog’. He studied at Harvard and University College London, and has higher degrees in vertebrate palaeontology and history of science, with a PhD for his work on Victorian evolution. He is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Biology Department at University College London.

James Moore has many publications on Darwin and his age, including The Post-Darwinian Controversies and The Darwin Legend . He holds degrees in science, divinity and history, and a PhD from Manchester University for his work on Victorian evolution and religion. Having taught at Cambridge, Harvard, Notre Dame and McMaster Universities, he is now Professor of the History of Science in the Open University.

Darwin 2009 in Pittsburgh

2008-11-26T13:44:00.001-07:00

Darwin the Business Man

2008-11-26T13:33:00.002-07:00

PZ shares his experience at a Philadelphia conference this last weekend: "Understanding Darwin: The legacy of evolution." He describes Darwin biographer Janet Browne's talk:

And now for something completely different — Janet Browne talked about Charles Darwin and the Natural Economy of Households. She has this wealth of information about Darwin, one of the best documented figures in modern history, and she was intrigued by one peculiar observation. Francis Galton had sent out a questionnaire to many prominent people, surveying attitudes and backgrounds, and one question asked the respondents to list their special talents. Darwin's answer was surprising. He said he had none, except for business! He regarded himself as an extremely successful businessman, first of all. It actually was true: all of Darwin's account books are extant, and he was a guy who wrote down everything, from the purchase of a toothbrush to major railroad investments, and it's all there.

At his wedding, the Darwin family financial seed was £10,000 granted to Charles and £10,000 to Emma. From this grew a fortune that, in the year before his death, was about £282,000. That's a lot of money: Darwin's expedition on the Beagle cost his father about £5,000, which was enough to buy a very nice house in those days, so Darwin was the equivalent of a modern multi-millionaire.

Browne argued that this talent was put to good use in his science. Like his accounts, he was a meticulous observer, noting everything. Further, accountancy taught him important principles of organization and abstraction. He kept day-to-day books of all expenses, which he then transcribed to books organized by category of expenses, which were further abstracted into yearly account books that summarized the totals. This is the same kind of methodology he used in tracking observations in natural history. She also noted that his diligence also reflected a common Malthusian sentiment of the times, that virtue was found in the proper management of money and resources.

I wondered whether this gradual and seemingly inevitable accumulation of wealth might also have colored Darwin's perception of how evolution might work, but Browne was careful to say that she was only focusing on the application of Darwin's business skills to his scientific methodology, and wasn't saying anything about it's application to his theory.

More on Darwin from Janet Browne.

Evolving Darwin Play Set

2008-11-26T09:37:00.002-07:00

"Contemplate the validity of evolution and natural selection with this five piece Evolving Darwin Play Set. Each meticulously detailed, hard vinyl figure represents a different stage of human evolution all the way from fish-man to a modern day Homo sapien in the form of Charles Darwin. Figures range from 3/8" to 3-1/4" tall."

From Archie McPhee...

Five Things Meme

2008-11-26T08:58:00.002-07:00

Brian tagged me with a Five Things Meme. So here it is:

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago:

- Running an ice cream shop connected with a family restaurant in Temecula, CA.
- Reading books about dinosaurs.
- Planning on what community college to begin taking classes at.
- Going to Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Magic Mountain way too often.
- Going to the movies way too often (I should have been hiking and visiting museums more).

5 Things On My To-Do List Today:

- Get into writing a literature review on secondary sources about John Tyndall.
- Clear off some of the books on my desk.
- Get a haircut.
- Sort some books for selling on Amazon.
- Read/take notes on some chapters in Fragments of Science, Vol. 2.

5 Snacks I Love:

- Trader Joes ® Reduced Fat Cheese Puffs
- Hostess ® Donut Gems (chocolate)
- Tortilla chips and cottage cheese
- Nilla ® Wafers
- Banana

5 Things I Would Do If I Were A Millionaire:

- Pay off my & my wife's college debt.
- Pay off our credit cards.
- Set aside money for Patrick (at least for a car and college, he'll have to work for the rest).
- Travel - all over, but to Ireland, Galapagos, and London first, but then everywhere else after that.
- Donate considerably to charities/organizations that my wife and I support.

5 Places I've Lived:

- Alamagordo, NM (born at White Sands Air Force Base).
- Medford, OR
- Temecula, CA
- La Mesa, CA
- Bozeman, MT

5 Jobs I've Had:

- Pat & Oscar's Restaurant (server, cashier, catering, deliveries, lead, manager, etc.)
- Sunshine Cleaning (cleaned houses and businesses)
- Highgate Senior Living (server in dining room)
- Bozeman Deaconess Hospital (housekeeper)
- Renne Library, MSU (withdrew books from collection)

Five people I tag: Richard, Karen, Michael, Adrian, and Anne-Marie.

Movers & Shakers Watt, Faraday & Darwin

2008-11-25T14:02:00.001-07:00

Movers & Shakers Watt, Faraday & Darwin
Originally uploaded by The urban snapper

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Campus, Aston Webb Building

Studying some insects at the Museum of the Rockies

2008-11-25T13:37:00.001-07:00

Studying some insects at the Museum of the Rockies
Originally uploaded by darwinsbulldog

Happy Origin Day!

2008-11-24T13:51:00.003-07:00

Adrian reminds us that On the Origin of Species was published 149 years ago today... Have you an original?

Filming 'Creation'

2008-11-24T13:47:00.003-07:00

An article over at the Wiltshire Times: "Film star mingles with the locals", and another at bath.co.uk: "Darwin filming in Bradford on Avon"

Darwin Limerick Contest Closed

2008-11-24T13:36:00.005-07:00

Thanks for all the entries for the Darwin Limerick Contest. I will have to pull all the limericks together and start judging...

Voices for Evolution

2008-11-22T21:29:00.003-07:00

From the NCSE:

Voices for Evolution is a project of the NCSE to collect the full diversity of organizations and perspectives in support of teaching evolution in the public schools. These statements represent the consensus view of the scientific community that evolution is well-supported, and that failing to teach it is a disservice to students.

Download the PDF, or purchase it here...

I Am Darwin

2008-11-22T21:06:00.002-07:00

All Aboard the HMS Beagle!

2008-11-22T20:17:00.003-07:00

On the website for the Natural History Museum of London is an Beagle voyage interactive : All Aboard the HMS Beagle!

Hat-tip to Karen...

Galapagos Finch

2008-11-20T20:25:00.001-07:00

Galapagos Finch
Originally uploaded by Time_for_tea

Finch collected by Darwin from the Galapagos Islands and later studied by ornithologist John Gould. On display in the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge.

Another fellow blogger needs your vote!

2008-11-19T21:02:00.002-07:00

Vote for Michael Robinson for a 2008 Weblog Award ("Best Hidden Gem") for his science and exploration blog Time to Eat the Dogs. Details here.

Current issue of Nature: Beyond the Origin

2008-11-19T13:17:00.002-07:00

I haven't had the chance to look through it all, but I just found out that the recent issue of Nature is chock full of Darwiny goodness. Table of contents online, and the issue sports a nice cover...

Charles Darwin

2008-11-18T21:55:00.002-07:00

Charles Darwin
Originally uploaded by Time_for_tea

Bust of Charles Darwin in Christ's College, Cambridge by the American sculptor William Couper. The statue was presented to the college by the New York Academy of Sciences during the centenary of Darwin's birth in 1909.

Asa Gray born, Edward Forbes died today

2008-11-18T08:45:00.003-07:00

Asa Gray was born today in 1810. From Today in Science History:

Asa Gray, Born 18 Nov 1810; died 30 Jan 1888. America's leading botanist in the mid-19th century, extensively studying North American flora, he did more work than any other botanist to unify the taxonomic knowledge of plants of this region. He was Darwin's strongest early supporter in the U.S.; in 1857, he was the third scientist to be told of his theory (after Hooker and Lyell). He debated L. Agassiz between 1859 and 1861 on variation and geographic distribution. Gray's discovery of close affinities between East Asian and North American floras was a key piece of evidence in favor of evolution. Though not fully comfortable with selection, he argued that evolution was compatible with religious belief and slid towards theistic evolutionism. Gray co-authored Flora of North America.

Asa Gray at Lefalophodon
Asa Gray Papers at Harvard University Herbaria
Asa Gray: American Botanist, Friend of Darwin by A. Hunter Dupree
"Charles Darwin and Asa Gray Discuss Teleology and Design" by Sara Joan Miles (American Scientific Affiliation)
Memoir of Asa Gray
Correspondence between Asa Gray and Charles Darwin
Re: Design, a play about the correspondence between Gray and Darwin

And naturalist Edward Forbes died on this day in 1854:

Edward Forbes (Died 18 Nov 1854; born 12 Feb 1815). British naturalist, pioneer in the field of biogeography, who analyzed the distribution of plant and animal life of the British Isles as related to certain geological changes. Forbes is considered by many to be the founder of the science of oceanography and marine biology. He studied the fauna of the Aegean Sea and did much to stimulate interest in marine biology. Unfortunately, he is best known for his "azoic theory" (1843), which stated that marine life did not exist on sea beds at depths over 300 fathoms (1800 feet). This was soon to be disproved, (but the desire to test this hypothesis has led to further exploration until, eventually, no depth has been completely unstudied). He became paleontologist to British Geological Survey in 1844.

Previous posts about Forbes here and here.

"The Man Who Wasn't Darwin" in National Geographic

2008-11-18T08:27:00.003-07:00

David Quammen's article on Alfred Russel Wallace, "The Man Who Wasn't Darwin," is in the December National Geographic. It's available online, as well as a photo gallery.

Reminder: Darwin Limerick Contest

2008-11-17T12:52:00.002-07:00

I have a few entries so far, and would love to get some more!

-------------------

Time to do something fun here at DoD. Send me your Darwin-themed limerick by Nov. 23rd, and I will select a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner. The prizes are:

1st place: A signed copy of David Quammen's The Reluctant Mr. Darwin (hardcover). Remember, Quammen is connected with my history department, so it's absolutely authentic.

2nd place: DVD of the 2 hour episode of PBS's Evolution, "Darwin's Dangerous Idea," and Peter J. Bowler's Charles Darwin: The Man and His Influence (softcover, 1990). The book is a second copy of mine, but in very good condition, and the DVD was mine also, but I no longer need it now that I own the entire Evolution series.

3rd place: Charles Darwin: On Evolution, edited by Thomas F. Glick and David Kohn (softcover, 1996). This is a second copy of mine. Some shelf wear and a cover crease, but in nice shape.

Submit your Darwin limerick by commenting on this post or emailing me at darwinsbulldog AT gmail DOT com. Judging will be from myself, and possibly some fellow Darwin bloggers. Good luck!

Note: Limericks consist of five anapaestic lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 of limericks have seven to ten syllables and rhyme with one another. Lines 3 and 4 of limericks have five to seven syllables and also rhyme with each other.

Chumbawamba's "Charlie"

2008-11-17T08:04:00.002-07:00

Hat-tip to PZ/The Great Beyond (Lyrics here too)

CONFERENCE: Evolution and Religion: Towards a History of an Evolving Relationship

2008-11-16T21:49:00.003-07:00

From the H-SCI-MED-TECH listserve:

Conference:
February 13-15, 2009
"Evolution and Religion: Towards a History of an Evolving Relationship"
Clemson University

Co-Organizers: Dawn M. Digrius, Clemson University; Richard England, Salisbury UniversityContact Information: ddigriu@clemson.edu; http://people.clemson.edu/~ddigriu

Historians have long charted the relationship between evolution andreligion, designating its interactions as conflict or cooperation, castingthe religious reading of evolutionary theory in terms of reaction andresponse. Recent studies have introduced different ways of thinking aboutthis area of historical study: the spatial turn in history has shown thepower of local circumstances to determine the way the meanings ofevolution are interpreted and appropriated: studies informed by bookhistory have shown the significance of the means in which statements onscience and religion were produced and read: and the way in which thepopular understandings of evolution and faith shaped each other isemphasized in recent histories which emphasize "appropriation" rather than"reaction."

This conference will contribute to the growing understanding of thediverse relations of evolutionary and religious thinking in America andbeyond, add to the historiographical richness of our understanding ofscience and religion, and map the localities and trends of a dynamicfield. Confirmed speakers include Edward Larson (University of Georgia),Jerry Waldvogel (Clemson University) and Joe Cain (University College,London).

Registration Begins November 30, 2008. Please see http://people.clemson.edu/~ddigriu for link to registration website.

NEW BOOK: Darwin Slept Here, by Eric Simons

2008-11-15T10:41:00.003-07:00

Overlook Press will be publishing Eric Simons' Darwin Slept Here: Discovery, Adventure, and Swimming Iguanas in Charles Darwin's South America in February. Here is the blurb from it's UK publisher, Duckworth (also Feb. 2009):

One snowy day in Ushuaia, Argentina, the self-proclaimed ‘southernmost city in the world,’ at the end of a long trip designed to put as much distance between himself and a frustrating post-college job as possible, writer Eric Simons picked up a copy of Charles Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle. Simons and two friends had just hiked the mountains overlooking Beagle Channel, and Simons found himself engrossed in Darwin’s account. Like Simons, Darwin was in his mid-twenties when he travelled to the continent, having joined a five-year expedition designed to survey and map the coastline of South America, to serve as the expedition’s naturalist. Simons found himself compelled to return to follow Darwin further into South America – to stand where Darwin had, and to explore the histories, legends and people that had fascinated him two centuries before. Simons trekked to as many of the locations Darwin wrote about as he could find, to see if he could see these places through Darwin’s eyes, and to see what South Americans know about Darwin. 2009 is a double anniversary year for Darwin: The 200th anniversary of his birth in February, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species in November. Part travelogue, part insight into one of the greatest scientific minds in history, Darwin Slept Here will fascinate and enthral.

The book further described in an email I received:

Darwin Slept Here is a travelogue in which Simons, fleeing a soul-sucking post-college job, endeavors to experience the places, people and discoveries mapped out by Darwin’s account. From the mud wrestling clubs of Buenos Aires to the “demon cacti” of the Chilean desert, Simons treks to as many of the locations visited by Darwin as he can find during his quest to see South America through Darwin’s eyes and to mine South Americans’ knowledge of Darwin. With February 12th, 2009 marking the double anniversary of both Darwin’s birth as well as the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species, Darwin Slept Here comes just in time to celebrate and revive one of the most important scientific discoverers of all time. With each chapter headed by the corresponding Beagle Diary entry from Darwin’s trip and in Darwin’s words, Eric Simons’s captivating travelogue revisits the places and recaptures the exhilaration of Darwin’s adventures. It is an innovative look at Darwin’s discoveries and a fresh-eyed journey into South America by an exciting new writer.