human evolution – The Friends of Charles Darwin

Newsletter No. 5: Discovery and adventure

Our fifth newsletter marks the anniversary of Charles Darwin setting sail aboard HMS Beagle.

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10-Jan-1860: Darwin to Lyell

Charles Lyell

On 10th January 1860, Charles Darwin wrote to his good friend the geologist Charles Lyell, humorously describing mankind’s ancestor.

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Your Inner Fish

I've just finished reading 'Your Inner Fish: a Journey into the 3.5 Billion-Year History of the Human Body' by Neil Shubin.

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Support for 'Out of Africa' hypothesis

But I can't see it convincing everyone.

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The blue moon butterfly bottleneck

How evolutionary bottlenecks can help preserve disadvantageous traits.

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The Darwin bicentennial oak, 11 years on
Eleven years ago today, I planted the Darwin Bicentennial Oak in my garden.
An embarrassment of Richards
In which my head appears on a spike (six times).
Hello, Serbia!
I am delighted to announce that the Friends of Charles Darwin have their first member from Serbia.
The Darwin bicentennial oak, 10 years on
Ten years ago today, I planted the Darwin Bicentennial Oak in my garden.
Hello, Azerbaijan!
I am delighted to announce that the Friends of Charles Darwin have their first member from Azerbaijan.

03-Dec-1831: Darwin’s first night aboard HMS Beagle
Darwin records his experimentations with a hammock.
29-Jan-1839: Charles Darwin marries Emma Wedgwood
On 29th January 1839, after a short courtship and engagement, Charles Darwin married his cousin Emma Wedgwood at St Peter's Church, Maer, Staffordshire.
14-May-1856: Darwin starts writing his ‘big species book’
On 14 May 1856, Charles Darwin recorded in his journal that, on the advice of his friend Charles Lyell, after almost 20 years exploring the subject, he had finally begun writing a ‘sketch’ of his ideas on species.
If humans evolved from monkeys, how come there are still monkeys?
This is a question frequently posed by creationists—and quite often by perfectly rational people…
13-Jan-1833: The day HMS Beagle nearly sank
Charles Darwin’s closest brush with death during the Beagle voyage came on Sunday 13th January 1833, near that most infamous of nautical perils, Cape Horn.