| February 12 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, whose theory of evolution redefined both science and culture with its profound re-ordering of natural history, human origins, and the diversity of life on Earth. The implications of Darwin’s insights inspire us still, a century and a half after he offered his creative and analytical genius to the world in the form of On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection. To honor his intellectual bravery and passion for a greater understanding of nature — and to celebrate the headline-making research that continues under his original premise — we present here a curated exploration of the culture of ideas that has arisen as a result of Darwin’s life and work. Enjoy. | |
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Adapting to a New Economy By Rob Mitchum An evolutionary perspective on economics can explain how we got into this current mess, and how we might find our way out. |
[Audio Slideshow] Saved by Science Artist Justine Cooper’s large-format photographs taken inside the American Museum of Natural History document the intersection of science, curation, and the endurance of human curiosity. |
| Darwin and the Clergyman By Samantha Evans Letters between Charles Darwin and the vicar of Downe document a close friendship—and a surprising mutual interest in the church. |
[Photo Essay] Darwin Slept Here Twentysomething adventurer Eric Simons retraced Charles Darwin’s voyage of the Beagle, recapturing an energetic young Darwin and the growing pains of a continent. |
| The Awe of Natural History Collections Science journalist Carl Zimmer on visiting the hidden side of natural history museums, where the unfathomably vast collections of scientific specimens are kept. |
[Blog] Blogging the Origin Seed set John Whitfield to the task of parsing On the Origin of Species, chapter by chapter, examining it from the perspective of a 21st-century evolutionary biologist and blogging the experience. |
| Survival of the Viral By Abbie Smith Studying genetic “mistakes” like endogenous retroviruses would have led us to a theory of evolution, even if Charles Darwin had not. |
[Audio] Into the Landscape of Genomic Evolution In a Seed podcast, ecologist John Whitfield meets the new genomic explorers who are asking questions that Darwin himself would have recognized and others he could never have known to ask. |
| Be Fruitful and Multiply By TJ Kelleher Agriculture and civilization have sped up the evolution of humanity, illuminating how we think about history. |
[Slideshow] Creatures of the Galapagos Peter Norvig’s stunning images offer a glimpse of the diverse fauna that inspired Darwin many years ago—and continue to inspire new generations of scientists today. |
| Extending Darwinism By Eva Jablonka Is there more to heredity, natural selection, and evolution than genes and DNA? |
[Video] The Evolution of Life in 60 Seconds A video experiment in scale, condensing 4.6 billion years of history into one minute. Produced by Claire L. Evans. |
Originally published February 12, 2009
