Darwin Celebration/Information Station 2009

[Galapagos]

Found some neat stuff over on Jerry Coyne's blog:

Jerry Coyne interviewed on NPR about Darwin and evolution:
WHYY's Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane Podcast

There is a special feature in the journal Current Biology in which biologists(and at least one science writer from what I saw) were asked to reread Darwin's Origin and give their responses. Some of the big names featured are Matt Ridley, Jerry Coyne, and Simon Conway Morris:

Current Biology - (Re)Reading The Origin

Also, more articles about Darwin and evolution were published in Forbes. Jerry Coyne comments on the entire feature on his blog here.
Jerry Coyne's article:

Why Evolution Is True - Forbes.com

Article by evo-devo biologist Sean B. Carroll:

Two Hundred Years Of Adventure And Discovery - Forbes.com

[Michaelangelica]

heaps of stuff on Abc radio
It is usually excellent
ABC Science Updates, 12 February 2009
Science Updates is a weekly email alert from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

== CHARLES DARWIN BIRTHDAY SPECIAL ==
Charles Darwin, the father of evolution was born 200 years ago today. We celebrate the man and his theory that turned the world upside down and continues to inspire discussion and debate.
ABC Science

INDEPTH: THE EVOLUTION OF SEX
Are modern relationships shaped by the romantic notion of love and fidelity or much greater evolutionary urges?
The evolution of sex (ABC Science)

OPINION: IS HUMAN EVOLUTION OVER?
Professor Steve Jones argues that the human race is in decline.
Is human evolution over? (ABC Science)

FROM THE VAULT: EVOLUTION PHOTO ESSAY
Brush up on your understanding of evolutionary theory.
ABC Science: Photos

UNLEASHED: DARWIN AND AUSTRALIA (Unleashed: 12/02/2009)
Darwin's time in Australia may have had as significant an impact on the development of the man, as his shorter time in the Galapagos may have had on Darwin the scientist, writes Michael Pickering.
Unleashed: Darwin and Australia

UNLEASHED: EVOLUTION FOR EVERYONE (Unleashed: 12/02/2009)
What makes evolutionary theory so powerful is the pattern of this explanation, which is the same in the cultural domain as it is in the biological domain.
Unleashed: Evolution for everyone

RADIO NATIONAL: CHARLES DARWIN TURNS 200
Tune in to Radio National as the world celebrates the extraordinary legacy of the ‘godfather’ of evolution. You’ll be surprised, challenged and engaged.
Radio National - Charles Darwin turns 200


I just listened to this and found it facinating especially the P elemts.
Listen Now - 07022009 | Download Audio (25.1 MB) - 07022009
Time to air Story title Story Transcript Listen to this story online Download this story
12:05 Darwin and show business Transcript listen download
12:22 Epigenetics Transcript listen download
12:31 The discovery of P elements Transcript listen download
12:42 Amphioxus - toolkit genes Transcript listen download
Listen to this tomorrow. Both are podcast and can be found at
Science Show
Saturday 14 February 2009

Listen Now - 14022009 | Download Audio (25.1 MB) - 14022009
Time to air Story title Story Transcript Listen to this story online Download this story
1205 Darwin's descendants - listen download
12:18 Interpreting Darwin's theory - download
Saturday 07 February 2009

[Michaelangelica]

I can't get to these articles but they look interesting

FEATURES-SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
Darwin on a Godless Creation
200 years after the birth of Charles Darwin, his theory of evolution still clashes with the creationist beliefs of some organized religions. For him personally, it meant the end of his belief in creation by God
> Related In-Depth Report: Happy 200th Birthday, Charles Darwin

It is amazing the amount of coverage in the media this anniversary is getting.
The Creationists seem very quiet.

[Galapagos]

Cool links Michaelangelicea!

I've been busy this week, so I haven't scoured for much stuff since around Darwin Day on the 12th. Don't be fooled though, this is Darwin's year, and the bicentennial of the Origin of Species doesn't come around until the 24th of November, so........


Science authors Carl Zimmer and John Horgan discussed the recent Darwin mania and some other issues in modern evolutionary theory:
Bloggingheads.tv - diavlogs

There are quite a few neat articles over at Discover magazine on Darwin, here are a few highlights:
DNA Agrees With All the Other Science: Darwin Was Right | Evolution | DISCOVER Magazine

Darwin's Dystopias: Ghastly Visions Inspired by Evolution | Evolution | DISCOVER Magazine (this one is artwork inspired by the concept of "survival of the fittest"! super weird/cool stuff!)

Six Sites That Are the Galapagos For Modern Darwins | Evolution | DISCOVER Magazine


In a letter co-authored NewScientist, PZ Myers, Dan Dennett, Jerry Coyne, and Richard Dawkins chided the magazine for a misleading cover graphic(from the Jan 24 2009 issue), and set the record straight about Darwin and evolution:

Darwin was right - 18 February 2009 - New Scientist
What on earth were you thinking when you produced a garish cover proclaiming that "Darwin was wrong" (24 January)?

First, it's false, and second, it's inflammatory. And, as you surely know, many readers will interpret the cover not as being about Darwin, the historical figure, but about evolution.

Nothing in the article showed that the concept of the tree of life is unsound; only that it is more complicated than was realised before the advent of molecular genetics. It is still true that all of life arose from "a few forms or... one", as Darwin concluded in The Origin of Species. It is still true that it diversified by descent with modification via natural selection and other factors.

Of course there's a tree; it's just more of a banyan than an oak at its single-celled-organism base. The problem of horizontal gene-transfer in most non-bacterial species is not serious enough to obscure the branches we find by sequencing their DNA.
click to continue reading...

NewScientist has published some silly stuff like this before, but this one was definitely a new low for them.

Project Steve has officially reached 1000 Steves.... and the 1000th Steve was a Darwin!:

Count On Steves to Defend Darwin: Scientific American Podcast
The National Center for Science Education initiated Project Steve in 2003 to count scientists named Steve (or Stephanie) who accept evolution, in response to lists of anti-evolution PhDs. The long-running effort, also a tribute to Stephen Jay Gould, crowned its thousandth Steve, a proxy for approximately 100,000 scientists, at last week's AAAS meeting. Steve Mirsky reports

These Darwin posters are incredibly cool/clever... click here if you somehow miss the reference:

mikero.com - blog
via PZ

[Galapagos]

Some German citizens want to change a national religious holiday into "Evolution Day", and they have made this music video to help sell the idea:

YouTube - Darwin & The Naked Apes / Children of...

Kind of strange, kind of funny, I dig it.
via PZ


----------------------------
Here is a short clip with some UK humor about Darwin:

YouTube - Charles Darwin on TV Burp

via WEIT

---------------------------------------------------------
One of the recent Darwin specials from the BBC has made its way onto youtube:

BBC - BBC Four Programmes - Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution of the Origin of Species
Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution of The Origin of Species

In his greatest work, 'On the Origin of Species', Charles Darwin reveals how the wonderful variety of the natural world emerges out of death and the 'struggle of life'. But as he developed his brilliant idea, Darwin went through a personal struggle that mirrored the natural world he observed.

The programme tells this story with the benefit of Darwin's secret notes and correspondence, powerful imagery from the time, and insights from biographers and scientists.

YouTube - Darwin's struggle 1/6 Widescreen

[freeztar]

I recently read about the Darwin's Garden exhibit in the GA Botanical Society newsletter. It's too bad it's in NY.

Here's a news article I found on it:

Garden exhibition replicates Darwin's work and experiments - International Herald Tribune

[Galapagos]

Test your Darwin IQ over at the Discovery Channel page with this fun game:
Test Your Darwin I.Q. : Discovery Channel

The Darwin Debate, a roundtable discussion with Steven Pinker, Meredith Small, Sir Johnathan Miller, and Steve Jones:

YouTube - The Darwin Debate (1/5)

Michael Shermer gives a lecture about evolution, creationism, Darwin etc in this lecture titled "Why Darwin Matters":

YouTube - Michael Shermer: Why Darwin Matters

This is not exactly Darwin news, but interesting regardless: a new transitional fossil showing the evolutionary transition of the seal lineage's land to sea lifestyle was discovered, and named Pujila darwini.
It has its own website over here:
Puijila: A Prehistoric Walking Seal
And some blog coverage for more info:
Pharyngula: Puijila darwini
Puijila, the walking seal - a beautiful transitional fossil : Not Exactly Rocket Science


Edit, more stuff:

Another scientific organization is honoring Darwin- this time Springer has a tribute page up with some cool features:
Darwin Year 2009


And this is awesome, the Society for the Study of Evolution made a happy birthday Darwin video, and there are a whole lot of familiar faces in there! See if you recognize anyone:
http://www.happybirthdaydarwin.org/

[Larv]

A morning though on the meaning of Darwin:

We carry the shame of Darwin like a tattoo on our foreheads. He was the ultimate Christ killer. He marks the defeat of human arrogance: we know now that we are descendents not from any gods but from many apes. We are naked here in this bright new world that reveals our former ignorance. Descent with modification was the coup d'état of Western religion. This knowledge came up as fresh and morphogenic as the first spring crocus. Even Calvinism was Darwinian: the “electi” were pre-selected for their fitness Take heed, we are on our own now with this new knowledge, free to evolve as we see fit. Only one serious question remains: Are we really in charge?

[Galapagos]

The upcoming movie about Darwin entitled Creation looks like it has some potential:

YouTube - Creation (aka nature) Trailer 2009

It might end up being corny, hard to tell at this point. Either way, at least it will get more people talking about biology...


Here are some more videos celebrating or otherwise discussing Darwin that have yet to make the thread:

YouTube - Steven Pinker - The Genius of Charles...

YouTube - Daniel Dennett - The Genius of Charles...

YouTube - Darwin: The Legacy (1/5)

YouTube - How Far Can Darwin Take Us? LIVE Shorts

And finally, the video version of a lecture given by Richard Dawkins about Darwin at the Natural History Museum back in March:
BBC/OU Open2.net - Darwin and evolution - Darwin's Five Bridges: The Open University Annual Lecture 2009

[Galapagos]

The PNAS had a Sackler Colloquia on Two Centuries of Darwin:

Table of Contents ? June 16, 2009, 106 (Supplement 1) ? PNAS


A quick glance reveals several open-access papers by big names in biology and the philosophy thereof. I look forward to devouring some of those articles myself later this evening





Also, at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge there is a special exhibit on how Darwin effected the arts in the late 19th century:
Darwin Endless Forms

A free online version of the exhibition can be accessed here:
Darwin Endless Forms Virtual Exhibition