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Month: February 2020

Newsletter No. 6: ‘Building on a theory’

Snail

To mark Charles Darwin’s 211th birthday, some thoughts on his 1871 classic, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, an unlikely anecdote about a snail, plus all the usual book reviews and links to Darwin-related news stories.

Published 12-Feb-2020
Filed under: Newsletters Tags: charles darwin, descent of man, dinosaurs, evolution, expression of emotions, galapagos islands, neanderthals, origin of species, sexual selection

The Darwin bicentennial oak, 11 years on

Bicentennial Oak 2020
11 years to the day after it was planted.

Eleven years ago today, I planted the Darwin Bicentennial Oak in my garden.

Published 12-Feb-2020
Filed under: Blog Tags: bicentennial oak

Book review: ‘The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex’ by Charles Darwin

‘The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex’ by Charles Darwin

Darwin finally sets out to enlighten us on our origins.

Published 09-Feb-2020
Filed under: Reviews Genres: Books by Darwin, Books on Evolution Tags: descent of man, reviews, sexual selection

NEWSLETTER

  • Newsletter 14: ‘The correct way to classify species’
    Taxonomic techniques compared • Pterosaurs • plant evolution and mega-herbivores • punctuated equilibrium • chimp vocalisations • giraffes’s necks • whale evolution • giant tortoises • platypus conspiracy • book recommendations
  • Newsletter No. 13: ‘Some excellent news’
    Some great news • How the internet is supposed to work • Darwin plays backgammon • Links and book reviews • a necessary owl

RECENT POSTS

  • Hello, French Polynesia!
    I am delighted to announce that the Friends of Charles Darwin have their first member from French Polynesia
  • The Darwin bicentennial oak, 12 years on
    Twelve years ago today, I planted the Darwin Bicentennial Oak in my garden.

BUY MY BOOK

‘On the Moor’ by Richard Carter

On the Moor: Science, History and Nature on a Country Walk
“…wonderfully droll, witty and entertaining… At their best Carter’s moorland walks and his meandering intellectual talk are part of a single, deeply coherent enterprise: a restless inquiry into the meaning of place and the nature of self.”
—Mark Cocker, author and naturalist
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RECENT ARTICLES

  • 28-Sep-1838: Darwin brainstorms Malthus
    On 28 September 1838, Charles Darwin made some notes inspired by the writings of Rev. Thomas Malthus, and a famous simile was born.
  • Gilbert White’s influence on Charles Darwin
    To mark the 300th anniversary of his birth, a brief account of Rev. Gilbert White’s influence on Charles Darwin.

RECENT REVIEWS

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  • Book review: ‘Ancestors’ by Prof. Alice Roberts
    The prehistory of Britain in seven burials.
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The Friends of Charles Darwin

There is grandeur in this view of life…