February 12, 2008 – 199th Birthday of Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
The 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth is February 12, 2009 and the count-down continues this year. This February 12th at noon, the School of Life Sciences and the Natural History Collections will sponsor a birthday tea. Some of the events from the second third of Darwin’s life will be examined, from his return to England, after his voyage on the HMS Beagle, to the publication of The Origin of the Species. Free and open to the public, the gathering point will be in the alcove on the first floor of Life Sciences A wing (adjacent to Palm Walk), where the natural history collections are displayed. Light refreshments will be served (tea, scones, and cookies).
Darwin’s book, The Origin of Species, and his other works changed the way scientists and many other people think about the world and were arguably the most important works on biology ever written. How did that happen? The Voyage of the Beagle was in Darwin’s words “the most important event in my life, and has determined my whole career.” In the second third of his life, arriving home in England, Darwin formed important friendships with other scientists, namely, Charles Lyell, Joseph Hooker, and Asa Gray, who influenced and contributed to his work.He spent eight years monographing barnacles, joined pigeon fancier clubs, and did experiments in preparation for his great work, The Origin of Species. Only his friends knew what he was up to. He was slowly progressing in this work, when he got a manuscript from Alfred Wallace in the Malay Archipelago. Wallace, who had spent nearly a decade in the tropical wilderness supporting himself by collecting specimens, concisely expressed Darwin’s ideas. What happened next? Come and find out on Feb. 12, at noon.
What
Birthday Tea to celebrate Charles Darwin's 199th birthday
When
Noon on Feb. 12, 2008
Where
ASU Tempe campus; Alcove on the 1st floor of Life Sciences A wing
Sponsor
ASU's School of Life Sciences and the Natural History Collections
Contact:
Les Landrum
Senior Research Scientist and Curator of the ASU Herbarium
(480) 965-6162
les.landrum@asu.edu
Media Contacts:
Margaret Coulombe
(480) 727-8934
margaret.coulombe@asu.edu