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.
dinosaurs
Kids and dinosaurs
Kids love dinosaurs. Kids love science. I wonder what we do to so many of them to drive away their natural sense of wonder.
Extinct monsters
Link to new blog post with lots of lovely scans of extinct megafauna.
The way it's going, La Brea Tar Pits, I know you just can't lose...
Video: 'The Smithsonian Institute Blues' by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band.
Absolute v relative dating
Modern Birds Existed Before Dinosaur Die-Off says molecular study.