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Writing tagged: ‘darwin’s illness’

Newsletter No. 12: ‘A comparatively free man’

A poorly Darwin writes to his cousin • links and book recommendations • the evolution of the eye

Published 12-Feb-2022
Filed under: Newsletters Tags: charles darwin, coronavirus, darwin's illness, edward o wilson, fungi, mammals, richard leakey, sexual selection, william darwin fox

Newsletter No. 3: ‘Knee-deep in barnacles’

Balanus crenatus
Fossil Balanus crenatus barnacles (labelled by Darwin). Natural History Museum.

Our third newsletter marks Charles Darwin’s 210th birthday.

Published 12-Feb-2019
Filed under: Newsletters Tags: alice roberts, barnacles, bicentennial oak, charles darwin, conrad martens, darwin's illness, joseph dalton hooker, stamps

Darwin's uncontrollable farting

Letter to the London Review of Books, in response to a recent piece claiming that Darwin suffered from uncontrollable farting.

Published 03-Jul-2011
Filed under: Blog Tags: charles darwin, darwin's illness, flatulence, lrb

Shock treatment

Charles Darwin tries galvanisation.

Published 04-Jan-2009
Filed under: Blog Tags: charles darwin, darwin's illness

Such modest ambitions, Mr Darwin!

In 1841, Darwin's ill-health evidently left him with low expectations of his future ability to contribute to science.

Published 03-Jan-2009
Filed under: Blog Tags: charles darwin, charles lyell, darwin's illness

NEWSLETTER

  • 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
  • Newsletter No. 12: ‘A comparatively free man’
    A poorly Darwin writes to his cousin • links and book recommendations • the evolution of the eye

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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    Life in the post-human landscape.
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    The prehistory of Britain in seven burials.
  • Book review: ‘The Diversity of Life’ by Edward O. Wilson
    On our most valuable but least appreciated resource.
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The Friends of Charles Darwin

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