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