Artist Diana Sudyka (blog), who did the logo for The HMS Beagle Project and another painting of Darwin, now presents young Darwin in the watercolor “Darwin’s Rhea”:
Darwin's rhea by Diana Sudyka
ART: Darwin’s rhea by Diana Sudyka
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Category Archives: zoology
RDF TV
From Richard Dawkins’ YouTube page comes a series of videos, RDF TV:
RDF TV features highly-produced video programming, created by The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, and brought to you freely on the web.
Nine videos so far:
Cambridge Trip #8: Darwin’s Microscope at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science
Monday, 13 July 2009
Following a visit to the University Museum of Zoology in Cambridge, Richard and I headed over to the Whipple Museum of the History of Science to see the exhibit featuring Darwin’s microscope. On the way there, we checked out the Cambridge University Press Bookshop and spotted some interesting history of science spots:
Cambridge, England
Mobile Library, Cambridge, England
At the bookshop, Richard went crazy and spent a deal on some Darwin books, including the not-so-cheap Charles Darwin’s Notebooks from the Voyage of the Beagle, edited by Gordon Chancellor and John van Wyhe. I bought one book, Charles Darwin: The Beagle Letters.
Darwin Display, Cambridge University Press Bookshop, Cambridge, England
Darwin Display, Cambridge University Press Bookshop, Cambridge, England
History of Science, Cambridge University Press Bookshop, Cambridge, England
Ladybird Beetle, Cambridge, England
Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, England
Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, England
Plaque for J.J. Thompson, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, England
Crooked Doorway, Cambridge, England
The Whipple Museum, which is in the same building that houses the Department of History and Philosophy of Science:
The Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge
The exhibit Darwin’s Microscope (much more than a microscope was on display):
Darwin's Microscope, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin's Microscope, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin's achromatic compound microscope, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin's achromatic compound microscope (1847) for his barnacle research, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Microscope slide storage, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Letter from Darwin to J.D. Hooker about the microscope, Whipple Museum of the History of Science, University of Cambridge
Vol. II of Darwin's 'A monograph on the sub-class Cirripedia' (barnacles), Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
In the same display case as the compound microscope were a bunch of evolutionary books and an older compound microscope similar to one Darwin had at Cambridge in the 1830s:
Older compound microscope, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Evolutionary books, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Evolutionary books, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Part of this exhibit showcased The Darwin Correspondence Project, based at Cambridge (they have just published the 17th volume):
Darwin Correspondence Project display, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin Correspondence Project display, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin Correspondence Project display, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin Correspondence Project display, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
This image is not from the correspondence project, but from Richard, who, the day before leaving for Cambridge, ordered the new volume from his local bookshop, not realizing that he would be visiting the Cambridge University Press’s bookshop. Oh well.
Richard's Darwin Correspondence Collection
One display in the exhibit showcased in drawers a wide variety of Darwin memorabilia:
Darwin memorabilia, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin memorabilia, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin memorabilia, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
The caricature print in the image above I discussed in a post on my other blog, Transcribing Tyndall.
Darwin memorabilia, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin memorabilia, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin memorabilia, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin memorabilia, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin memorabilia, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin memorabilia, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Another display showed late nineteenth-century responses to Darwin:
Responses to Darwin, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
The caricature print above was also featured in the same post on Transcribing Tyndall.
Responses to Darwin, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Responses to Darwin, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Various posters and wall hangings:
Darwin wall hangings, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin wall hangings, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin wall hangings, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Darwin wall hangings, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Some shots from the rest of the museum:
Anatomical model of a fetus, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Natural history displays, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Whipple Museum of the History of Science, University of Cambridge
Telescope, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
Newton wants your money, Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
R.S. Whipple, Founder of the Whipple Museum, University of Cambridge
After the Whipple Museum, we weren’t sure what to do next. Around the corner from the museum we ran into John van Wyhe, one of the Darwin historians I met at the conference (and owner of a Darwin groupie bike), as he was headed to his office at the building where the Whipple Museum is:
John van Wyhe, University of Cambridge. Photo by Richard Carter
Although it was Monday and Darwin’s room at Christ’s College was not open to the public, he quickly treated Richard and I to a look (other pictures from Christ’s I posted here). John was, after all, in charge of the restoration. Richard was also delighted to get his Beagle notebook signed by one of its editors. I will share photos from Darwin’s room in the next post.
You can view all the photos from my trip here, if you feel so inclined. Some of Richard’s Cambridge photos are here.
PREVIOUS: Cambridge Trip #7: Beetles, Finches and Barnacles at the University Museum of Zoology; Cambridge Trip #6: Darwin the Geologist at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences; Cambridge Trip #5: Darwin Groupies Explore Cambridge; Cambridge Trip #4: Darwin in the Field Conference, Pt. 2; Cambridge Trip #3: Darwin in the Field Conference; Cambridge Trip #2: Finding My Way; Cambridge Trip #1: Traveling
Cambridge Trip #7: Beetles, Finches and Barnacles at the University Museum of Zoology
13 July 2009
After the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Richard and I headed across the street to the University Museum of Zoology. Again, as with the Sedgwick, the museum was free. All the university museums at Cambridge are free! The zoology museum had another – although much smaller – Darwin exhibit, Beetles, Finches and Barnacles: The Zoological Collections of Charles Darwin. Here are some general shots from the museum:
What you see as you approach the University Museum of Zoology
Cambridge is a bike city
Horse, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Spider crab, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Darwin's rhea, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Cephalopods, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Crocodilians & Dinosaurs, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
A little in-house research, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Leatherback turtle, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Lepidoptera, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Birds, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Okapi, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Elephant seal, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Mammals, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Giraffe, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Rhinoceros, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Primates, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Taking his place:
The Descent of Richard Carter, FCD
Crab, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Spider crab, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Centipede, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Pareiasaur, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Whale, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Now for the Darwin exhibit:
Label in the lobby informing of the Darwin exhibit
Close up of the Darwin painting
While the Darwin exhibit at the zoology museum highlights beetles (university Darwin), finches (Beagle Darwin), and barnacles (1840/50s Darwin), the image of Darwin that greets visitors to the museum is of a much older, bearded Darwin. Granted, there is an image of the young Darwin in the exhibit, but the old seems to be favored over the young:
Young Darwin, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Darwin exhibit, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Beagle specimens, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Darwin books, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Beagle specimens, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Barnacle slides, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Darwin exhibit, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Finches, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Richard photographing beetles, University Museum of Zoology, Museum
Check out Richard’s post about the beetles here.
Darwin exhibit, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Darwin's beetle box, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Also at the zoology museum was a glass art exhibit by Tolly Nason, Finch by Finch, a series lighted beaks:
Finch by Finch, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Finch by Finch, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Finch by Finch, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
And Richard caught me in the background in a video of the exhibit:
Other specimens of or similar to Darwin’s were placed throughout the museum:
Glyptodon, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Pheasant feathers, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Megatherium, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Octopus, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Richard also has a post about the octopus up on The Red Notebook.
In my next post I will share some images from the the exhibit Darwin’s Microscope at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science.
You can view all the photos from my trip here, if you feel so inclined. Some of Richard’s Cambridge photos are here.
PREVIOUS: Cambridge Trip #6: Darwin the Geologist at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences; Cambridge Trip #5: Darwin Groupies Explore Cambridge; Cambridge Trip #4: Darwin in the Field Conference, Pt. 2; Cambridge Trip #3: Darwin in the Field Conference; Cambridge Trip #2: Finding My Way; Cambridge Trip #1: Traveling
Video Evidence of My Time in Cambridge, England
Video courtesy of Richard Carter of The Red Notebook:
Artist Tolly Nasons cast glass sculpture installation ‘Seeing the Light: Finch by Finch’, which is based on the beaks of Darwins Galápagos finch specimens. Shot at the University of Cambridge Zoological Museum.
That’s me observing bone-observing in the background…
Cambridge Trip #4: Darwin in the Field Conference, Pt. 2
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Walking to the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences:
Tennis Court Road, University of Cambridge
This was the second day of the Darwin in the Field conference. That means I presented my paper, and it was received well.
Presenting my paper
Some suggestions and one small critique from David Kohn, but otherwise fine. Several of the historians were surprised to find out that the bulk of my paper was written during one of my undergraduate courses. Kohn also welcomed me to the community of scholars who look at Darwin’s botanical work. All in all, compliments and best wishes for future work. There are plans to publish the papers from this conference in a volume through the Geological Society of London. So more work to be done on Darwin and his seed dispersal experiments!
After the conference (and while some participants joined David Norman for a look at Darwin’s room at Christ’s College), some of us went for lunch at Origin8. A picture afterwards:
Brian Rosen, John van Wyhe, me, David Kohn, & Alistair Sponsel
My Twitter updates from the presentations:
Darwin in the Field: A. Sponsel: Darwin actually had eureka moment w/ coral reef theory in Tahiti, not west coast of S. America#darwinfest
Darwin in the Field: Barton (me!): JD Hooker disagreed w/ Darwin on seed dispersal in part b/c D did experiments @ home, not Kew #darwinfest
Darwin in the Field: Gowan Dawson: Brits more intriqued by Megatherium vs. dinosaurs b/c of stronger association w/ morality #darwinfest
Darwin in the Field: Gowan Dawson: “Darwin rather minimal in my story” Love it. #darwinfest
Darwin in the Field: Brian Rosen: Darwin’s own exhibit on coral reef specimens to be re-displayed at NHM-London #darwinfest
Darwin in the Field: J. Hodge: it’s an anachronism to speak of Darwin and plate tectonics, further, don’t use ‘tectonics’ either#darwinfest
Darwin in the Field: Phil Stone: “Nevermind Darwin’s finches (van Wyhe: no, no, mockingbirds), it’s Darwin’s foxes” #darwinfest
Following lunch, I went back to pick up my bag from the porter’s lodge at Downing College, and made my way to the bed and breakfast I stayed at the next two nights. I looked at my Cambridge map wrong, and went more than a mile out of my way, but that allowed me to see parts of the university I otherwise would not have. Some pictures:
Sidney Street Performer, Cambridge, England
Punting on The River Cam, Magdalene College, University of Cambridge
Kettle's Yard, Cambridge, England
Lichen on wall along Northampton Street, University of Cambridge
Another view of King's College, University of Cambridge
Darwin Festival Fringe Programme, Grantchester Street, Cambridge, England
The Granta (River Cam), Cambridge, England
When I got to the bed and breakfast, Richard Carter was already there. We ventured out for some more exploring of Cambridge, which I will share in a later post.
You can view all the photos from my trip here, if you feel so inclined.
PREVIOUS: Cambridge Trip #3: Darwin in the Field Conference; Cambridge Trip #2: Finding My Way; Cambridge Trip #1: Traveling
Happy Earthworm Day!
According to here. You could read Darwin on earthworms to celebrate!
Hat-tip to Eric
February 2009 Magazines cover Darwin
Be looking forward to the February issues of Natural History, National Geographic, and Smithsonian.
Natural History contains an article (“Seeing Corals with the Eye of Reason,” not online) by Richard Milner about a rediscovered painting that celebrates Darwin’s view of life. Also, Natural History has their own blog that I didn’t know about, but there’s no RSS for it, factotem: findings and musings from Natural History’s fact checker.
Nat Geo, February 2009
National Geographic will have articles by David Quammen, “Darwin’s First Clues,” and Matt Ridley, “Modern Darwins.” Also, a video with Quammen and a Darwin quiz.
Smithsonian, Febuary 2009
Smithsonian‘s cover story is on Darwin and Lincoln, with three articles: “Lincoln’s Contested Legacy,” “What Darwin Didn’t Know,” and “Twin Peaks” (on their connection).
BBC’S In Our Time: The Beagle, the Mockingbird and the Megatherium
As mentioned here, BBC – Radio 4 will have several shows about Charles Darwin. In Our Time, hosted by Melvyn Bragg, continues with a 4-part series with “The Beagle, the Mockingbird and the Megatherium”:
Part 2 of 4 charts Darwin’s round the world voyage on the Beagle and the objects and the ideas he bought back.
In Our Time’s website is here, and a direct link to the mp3 here.
Year of Darwin – Thomas Near
Asa Gray born, Edward Forbes died today
Asa Gray was born today in 1810. From Today in Science History:
Asa Gray, Born 18 Nov 1810; died 30 Jan 1888. America’s leading botanist in the mid-19th century, extensively studying North American flora, he did more work than any other botanist to unify the taxonomic knowledge of plants of this region. He was Darwin’s strongest early supporter in the U.S.; in 1857, he was the third scientist to be told of his theory (after Hooker and Lyell). He debated L. Agassiz between 1859 and 1861 on variation and geographic distribution. Gray’s discovery of close affinities between East Asian and North American floras was a key piece of evidence in favor of evolution. Though not fully comfortable with selection, he argued that evolution was compatible with religious belief and slid towards theistic evolutionism. Gray co-authored Flora of North America.
Asa Gray at Lefalophodon
Asa Gray Papers at Harvard University Herbaria
Asa Gray: American Botanist, Friend of Darwin by A. Hunter Dupree
“Charles Darwin and Asa Gray Discuss Teleology and Design” by Sara Joan Miles (American Scientific Affiliation)
Memoir of Asa Gray
Correspondence between Asa Gray and Charles Darwin
Re: Design, a play about the correspondence between Gray and Darwin
And naturalist Edward Forbes died on this day in 1854:
Edward Forbes (Died 18 Nov 1854; born 12 Feb 1815). British naturalist, pioneer in the field of biogeography, who analyzed the distribution of plant and animal life of the British Isles as related to certain geological changes. Forbes is considered by many to be the founder of the science of oceanography and marine biology. He studied the fauna of the Aegean Sea and did much to stimulate interest in marine biology. Unfortunately, he is best known for his “azoic theory” (1843), which stated that marine life did not exist on sea beds at depths over 300 fathoms (1800 feet). This was soon to be disproved, (but the desire to test this hypothesis has led to further exploration until, eventually, no depth has been completely unstudied). He became paleontologist to British Geological Survey in 1844.
"What’s New" at Darwin Online
These were added to The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online between September 23 and October 20, 2008:
Skinner, A. J. 1927. [Letter of reminiscences of Darwin at Down House]. In Abbot, Twelve great modernists. New York, pp. 247-249. Text Image A newly recorded recollection of Darwin!
Anon. 1885. Unveiling the statue of the late Charles Darwin in the Natural History Museum, South Kensington. The Graphic (20 June): 621-22. Text Image
Darwin, C. R. 1882. The formation of vegetable mould, through the action of worms, with observations on their habits. New York: D. Appleton. Image PDF
Darwin, C. R. 1871. The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. New York: D. Appleton. Volume 2. Image PDF
Darwin, C. R. 1876. The movements and habits of climbing plants. New York: D. Appleton. Image PDF
Darwin, C. R. 1894. [Note on a Toxodon skull]. In R. Owen ed. The life of Richard Owen. London: John Murray, vol. 1, pp. 119-120. Text Image
Anon. 1897. [Down House to be let]. The Times (25 February): 16. Text
Overview of illustrations of Darwin’s Beagle specimens here.
Howarth. [1933.] A history of Darwin’s parish: Downe, Kent. With a foreword by Sir Arthur Keith. Text Image
1877. M. Taine on the acquisition of language by children. Mind. A Quarterly Review of Psychology and Philosophy 2, No. 6 (April): 252-9. Image (Replied to by Darwin in F1779)
de Beer, G. 1968. The Darwin letters at Shrewsbury School. Notes and Records of the Royal Society 23 (1) (June): 68-85. Text Image
New colour images of: Darwin, C. R. 1877. A biographical sketch of an infant. Mind. A Quarterly Review of Psychology and Philosophy 2 (7) (July): 285-294. Text Image PDF
Anon. 1894. Proposed memorial to the late Charles Darwin. Public meeting in Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury Chronicle (2 February). [offprint] Image
Wollaston, T. V. 1857. Catalogue of the coleopterous insects of Madeira in the collection of the British Museum. London: Trustees of the British Museum. Image
Günther, A. 1858. Catalogue of the Batrachia Salientia in the collection of the British Museum. London: Trustees of the British Museum. Image
Darwin, C. R. ed. 1842. Fish Part 4 of The zoology of the voyage of HMS Beagle. by Leonard Jenyns. Edited and superintended by Charles Darwin. London: Smith Elder and Co. Text Image PDF Courtesy of the Trustees of the Natural History Museum (London).
Darwin, C. R. ed. 1843. Reptiles Part 5 of The zoology of the voyage of HMS Beagle. by Thomas Bell. Edited and superintended by Charles Darwin. London: Smith Elder and Co. Text Image PDF F9.5 Courtesy of the Trustees of the Natural History Museum (London).
Darwin, C. R. 1877. The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species. New York: D. Appleton. Image PDF (First American edition)
Chancellor, Gordon. Introduction to Volcanic islands
Busk, G. 1852. Catalogue of marine Polyzoa in the collection of the British Museum. Part I. Cheilostomata (part). London: Trustees of the British Museum. Image
Busk, G. 1854. Catalogue of marine Polyzoa in the collection of the British Museum, Part II. Cheilostomata (part). London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). Image
Busk, G. 1875. Catalogue of marine Polyzoa in the collection of the British Museum, Part III. Cyclostomata. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). Image
Abbot, F. E. 3.12.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Bentham, George. 30.5.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Blomefield, L. Jenyns. 1.5.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Butler, T. 13.9.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Calman W. J. 25.4.1912. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Cameron J. H. L. 15.9.[ny]. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Cox C. F. 3.3.1889. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Cradock, E. H. 10.7.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Darwin, William Erasmus. 30.1.[ny]. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Forster, Laura May. 1.1883. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Forster, Laura May. 16.11.1885. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Forster, Laura May. 30.11.1885. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Fraser, George D. 21.3.1888. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Galton, Francis. [nd]. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Hamond, Robert Nicholas 19.9.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Heaviside, James William Lucas. 15.9.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Herbert, J. M. 12.6.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Herbert, J. M. 26.5.1882 [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Innes, John Brodie. 26.6.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
King, Philip Gidley. 8.9.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Litchfield, H. E. 18.3.1887. [Recollections of Darwin’s health.] Text
Mellersh, Arthur. 10.6.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Minching, W. 9.1.1883. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Paget, George Edward. 13.9.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Paget, George Edward. 17.9.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Rodwell, John Medows. 8.7.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Stokes, John Lort. 16.9.1882. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Sulivan, B. J. 12.12.1884. [Recollections of Darwin and the Beagle.] Text
Watkins, F. 18.7.[1887]. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Wedgwood K. E. Sophy. 15.12.1885. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Wedgwood, K. G. S. 14.7.1889. [Recollections of Darwin.] Text
Marchant, J. ed. 1916. Alfred Russel Wallace letters and reminiscences. Vol. 1. Text
Chancellor, Gordon. Introduction to Coral reefs.
Darwin, Emma. 1882. [Reminiscences of Charles Darwin’s last years.] Text Image
Today in Science History
From Today in Science History:
Franklyn Perring (Died 11 Oct 2003; born 1 Aug 1927). English botanist and conservationist, who was was one of the most influential botanists of his generation. He made a significant contribution to conservation as the co-author (with Max Walters) of the Atlas of the British Flora (1962), one of the most important British natural history publications of the 20th century. This compilation precisely was initiated in 1954 by the Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI) to record the incidence of all British flowering plants. Perring was a senior member of the team of researchers. Using a map of the country in 10 km grid squares, each square was visited, and the plants there recorded. Later, he encouraged zoologists to make similar atlases of distribution for mammals, butterflies, and other life forms.
Jean Henri Fabre (Died 11 Oct 1915; born 22 Dec 1823). French entomologist and author who popularized insect natural history. He wrote ten volumes of Souvenirs entomologiques (1879-1907) in which he recorded his perceptive field observations of insect behaviour. Although his career began as a professor of physics, and in 1866 he isolated alizarin (the colouring agent in madder), his life work became the study of insects, about which he wrote in elegant prose. From his study of parasitic wasps he deduced that much of the wasp’s behaviour is inherited and not learned. Victor Hugo dubbed him “the insects’ Homer” and Edmond Rostand named him the “Virgil of insects.” Darwin cited him as “an incomparable observer.”
Today in Science History, notable botanists and entomologists died…
From Today in Science History:
Adolf Engler (Died 10 Oct 1930; born 25 Mar 1844). (Gustav Heinrich) Adolf Engler was a German botanist famous for his system of plant classification and for his expertise as a plant geographer. He emphasized the importance of geological history in the study of plant geography, and worked out an influential system of plant classification. He wrote several works on plant geography and taxonomy, and collaborated with Karl Prantl on the early volumes of Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien (32 vol. in 17, 1887–1909) and edited the early volumes of Das Pflanzenreich. The Engler and Prantl system of flowering plant classification was the principal one in use until the 1970s.
Sir Ferdinand von Mueller (Died 10 Oct 1896; born 30 Jun 1825). German-born Australian botanist and explorer. He migrated to Australia in 1848 for health reasons, and there became the country’s greatest 19th-century scientist. Mueller gained an international reputation as a great botanical collector and writer. His contributions covered a wide field of sciences such as geography, pharmacy, horticulture, agriculture, forestry, paleontology, and zoology. His activity as a botanist is shown by hundreds of Australian plant names which are followed by ‘F. Muell’. From 1853, he held the post as the first Government Botanist of Victoria until his death, 43 years later. He travelled widely throughout the colonies on botanical exploration, including as naturalist to the Gregory expedition to northern Australia (1855-57).
Thomas Say (Died 10 Oct 1834; born 27 Jun 1787). American self-taught naturalist often considered to be the founder of descriptive entomology in the United States. His taxonomic work was quickly recognized by European zoologists. Say was a founding member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. He was chief zoologist of Major Stephen Long’s exploring expedition to the tributaries of the Missouri River in 1819 and in 1823 for the expedition to the headwaters of the Mississippi. During the 1819 expedition, Say first described the coyote, swift fox, western kingbird, band-tailed pigeon, Say’s phoebe, rock wren, lesser goldfinch, lark sparrow, lazuli bunting, and orange-crowned warbler. His important work, American Entomology, remains a classic. He also wrote on paleontology and conchology.
Pierre Lyonnet (Died 10 Oct 1789; born 22 Jul 1708). Dutch naturalist and engraver who skillfully dissected insects and made detailed illustrations of their anatomy. He also had a career as an official codebreaker. In 1738 he entered the service of the States General as an administrator of secret expenses and as a code-clerk. In his leisure he turned to natural history. He believed that nature was a cipher that could be interpreted by tracing every detail of its perfect design. He designed a simple microscope which had each lens suspended at the end of a series of ball and socket joints over a small mahogony dissecting table mounted on a post above a wooden base with small drawers containing his instruments. After preparing engravings for several books written by others, he produced his own treatises.
Today in Science History
From Today in Science History:
George Gaylord Simpson (Died 6 Oct 1984; born 16 June 1902). U.S. paleontologist known for his contributions to evolutionary theory and to the understanding of intercontinental migrations of animal species in past geological times. Simpson specialized in early fossil mammals, leading expeditions on four continents and discovering in 1953 the 50-million-year old fossil skulls of dawn horses in Colorado. He helped develop the modern biological theory of evolution, drawing on paleontology, genetics, ecology, and natural selection to show that evolution occurs as a result of natural selection operating in response to shifting environmental conditions. He spent most of his career as a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History.
Bernard-Germain-Étienne Lacépède (Died 6 Oct 1825; born 26 Dec 1756). (Bernard-Germain-) Étienne de La Ville-sur-Illon, comte de (count of) Lacépède, was a French naturalist interested in herpetology and ichthyology. Buffon secured him a position at the Jardin du Roi (later the Jardin des Plantes) and invited him to continue his work Histoire Naturelle in animal classification. To supplement Buffon’s work, Lacépède published several volumes which dealt with the oviparous quadrupeds (1788), reptiles (1789), fishes (1798-1803), and whales (1804). After the French Revolution, he became a politician, which activity prevented him making any further contribution of importance to science.
Today in Science History: Darwin begins studying barnacles
From Today in Science History:
In 1846, ten years after his voyage on the Beagle, Charles Darwin began his study of barnacles, which was to appear in four volumes on living and fossil Cirripedes (barnacles). For his observations, he had a single lens microscope made to his own design. Intended to be more practical, it did not fine focusing and had a larger stage than the Beagle microscope to take shallow dishes for aqueous dissections.
Previous: Darwin on Barnacles
Today in Science History
From Today in Science History:
Adam Sedgwick (Born 28 Sep 1854; died 27 Feb 1913). English zoologist, a grandnephew of the geologist Adam Sedgwick, who is best known for his researches on the wormlike organism Peripatus, which he recognized as the zoologically important connecting link between the Annelida, or segmented worms, and the Arthropoda, such as crabs, spiders, and insects.
Arnold Henry Guyot (Born 28 Sep 1807; died 8 Feb 1884). Swiss geologist, geographer and educator. With glaciologist Louis Agassiz, he studied the glaciers of his native Switzerland and proved that they were moving – building a foundation for the theory of ice ages. Upon moving to the United States (1848), Guyot began the first systematic instruction in geology at Princeton University. Later, as head of the meteorological department at the Smithsonian Institution, he set up a system of weather observatories that utimately grew into the U. S. Weather Bureau. Using a barometer to measure altitude, he proved that Newfound Gap is the lowest pass through Appalachia’s Great Smoky Mountains. The guyot, a flat-topped volcanic peak rising from the ocean floor, is named after him.
Louis Pasteur (Died 28 Sep 1895; born 27 Dec 1822). French chemist who became a founder of microbiology. He began as a chemist working on the optical properties of tartaric acid and its stereochemistry (1849). He moved into microbiology when he discovered the role of bacteria in fermentation – that it was micro-organisms in yeast causing the formation of alcohol from sugar – and proved that the growth of microorganisms was not spontaneously generated from non-living matter. This led to understanding of the germ theory of infection, and his method of killing harmful bacteria in liquids by holding them for a time at a given temperature, which is now known as pasteurisation [also see tyndallization]. He created and tested vaccines for diphtheria, cholera, yellow fever, plague, rabies, anthrax, and tuberculosis.
Today in Science History
From Today in Science History:
Guillaume Rondelet (Born 27 Sep 1507; died 30 July 1566). French naturalist and physician who contributed substantially to zoology by his descriptions of marine animals, primarily of the Mediterranean Sea. After studying at Montpellier, he later travelling widely through Europe with his patron Cardinal Tournon. Returning to Montpellier in 1545, he taught medicine. His real interest, however, was zoology, and in 1554 he published his massive compendium on aquatic life, Libri de piscibus marinis in quibus verae piscium effigies expressae sunt, which covered far more marine life than any earlier work in the field. This laid the foundation for later ichthyological research and was the standard reference work for over a century. He also published various other works on diagnosis and several pharmacological works.
Today in Science History
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Paul Gervais (Born 26 Sep 1816; died 1879). (François-Louis-) Paul Gervais was a paleontologist and zoologist who succeeded Georges Cuvier and Henri de Blainville as principal French contributor to vertebrate paleontology.
Nehemiah Grew (Baptised 26 Sep 1641; died 25 Mar 1712). English botanist whose naked-eye and one of the early practitioners of microscopic observations made major advances in knowledge of plant anatomy and plant morphology. He published his work in The Anatomy of Plants (1682). He took a particular interest in determining the physiological nature of the tissues. He observed the pourous structure of plant tissue, suggested that flowers have a sexual function, and was first to use the term “comparative anatomy.” His significant contibutions rank Grew as one of the founders of the scientific study of plant anatomy.
Today in Science History
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Thomas Hunt Morgan (Born 25 Sep 1866; died 4 Dec 1945). American zoologist and geneticist, Nobel laureate (1933), born in Lexington, Kentucky. At Columbia University (1904-28), he began his revolutionary genetic investigations of the fruit fly Drosophila (1908). Initially skeptical of Gregor Mendel’s research, Morgan performed rigorous experiments which demonstrated that genes were linked in a series on chromosomes and are responsible for identifiable, hereditary traits. In 1910 he discovered sex-linkage in Drosophila, and postulated a connection between eye color in fruit flies and human color blindness. With his “fly room” colleagues, he mapped the relative positions of genes on Drosophila chromosomes, then published his seminal book, The Mechanisms of Mendelian Heredity (1915).
Today in Science History: a bunch of botanists were born or died
From Today in Science History:
George Bentham (Born 22 Sep 1800; died 10 Sep 1844). British botanist whose classification of seed plants (Spermatophyta), based on an exhaustive study of all known species, served as a foundation for modern systems of vascular plant taxonomy. Sir William Hooker, invited him to establish permanent quarters at Kew gardens, where Bentham participated in the Gardens’ definitive survey of floras of the British colonies and possessions, for which he prepared the Flora Hongkongensis (1861) and the Flora Australiensis (7 vol., 1863-78), cataloging and describing more than 7,000 species. Collaborating with Hooker’s son Sir Joseph, Bentham spent 27 years in research and examination of specimens for the work Genera Plantarum (3 vol., 1862-83), which covered 200 “orders” of 7,569 genera, and 97,200 species.
Michael Faraday (Born 22 Sep 1791; died 25 Aug 1867). English physicist and chemist whose many experiments contributed greatly to the understanding of electromagnetism. Although one of the greatest experimentalists, he was largely self-educated. Appointed by Sir Humphry Davy as his assistant at the Royal Institution, Faraday initially concentrated on analytical chemistry, and discovered benzene in 1825. His most important work was in electromagnetism, in which field he demonstrated electromagnetic rotation and discovered electromagnetic induction (the key to the development of the electric dynamo and motor). He also discovered diamagnetism and the laws of electrolysis. He published pioneering papers that led to the practical use of electricity, and he advocated the use of electric light in lighthouses.
Christian Konrad Sprengel (Born 22 Sep 1750; died 7 Apr 1816). German botanist and teacher whose studies of sex in plants led him to a general theory of fertilization which, basically, is accepted today. Although director of a school at Spandau and tutor in Berlin, he devoted himself chiefly to the study of flowering plants. Sprengel’s 1793 treatise on floral structure examines the ways that flower colors, scents, shapes, and markings work harmoniously to attract insects for pollination. A clergyman and botanist, he spent his life researching the role played by the wind and insects in the fertilization of flowers. Although Sprengel’s work was neglected by his contemporaries, Charles Darwin later praised Sprengel’s work and brought it brought to public attention.
Peter Simon Pallas (Born 22 Sep 1741; died 8 Sep 1811). German naturalist who was a pioneer in zoogeography by going beyond merely cataloging specimens with simple descriptions, but included observations of causal relationships between animals and their environment. He looked for hidden regularities in natural phenomena over an extreme range of habitats. His extensive field studies made on expeditions in Russia resulted in records of hundreds of species of animals and plants together with commentary on the interrelationships among them and their environment, and careful notes on the areas of distribution and boundaries. This work was a precursor to theories of evolution. He was first to theorise that mountain formation resulted from volcanic processes causing uplifts and receding seas.
Merritt Lyndon Fernald (Died 22 Sep 1950; born 5 Oct 1873). American botanist noted for his comprehensive study of the flora of the northeastern United States. In Feb 1891, Fernald was offered a position at the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University that would allow him to work and study part-time at Harvard. He remained at the Gray Herbarium in one capacity or another for the rest of his life, beginning as an assistant, going on to be a professor, eventually as curator of the Gray Herbarium, 1935-37, and director, 1937-1947. Fernald is known for his work on phytogeography. He combined extensive field work with his herbarium work, concentrating on the flora of eastern North America. He did much exploring in Quebec in his younger years; when older, he worked in Virginia.
Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey (Died 22 Sep 1948; born 8 Aug 1863). American ornithologist and author of popular field guides. She preceded Ludlow Griscom in calling for the use of binoculars instead of shotguns when birding. By 1885, she began to write articles focusing on protecting birds. She was horrified by the fashion trend which not only used feathers, but entire birds to decorate women’s hats. Five million birds a year were killed to supply this fashion craze. At age 26, Bailey collected and developed the series of articles she had written for the Audubon Magazine into her first book, Birds Through an Opera Glass, (1889). Altogether she published about 100 articles, mostly for ornithological magazines, and 10 books. including the Handbook of Birds of the Western United States (1902) and Birds of New Mexico (1928).
John Bartram (Died 22 Sep 1777; born 23 Mar 1699). American explorer who is also regarded as the father of American botany, a subject he self-taught from the age of ten. He made a systematic study of healing plants. In 1728, Bartram bought land beside the Schuylkill River at Kingsessing, outside Philadelphia, created Bartram’s Garden, and began likely the first experiments in hybridizing in America. (His Garden now forms part of Philadelphia’s small park system – the oldest living botanical garden in the U.S. – where many giant trees may still be seen that he planted.) He travelled widely to gather ripe seeds, roots and bulbs in proper condition for transplanting. Shipping many species to introduce in Europe developed into a business. His son William Bartram followed him as a naturalist.
Today in Science History
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G. Kingsley Noble (Born 20 Sep 1894; died 9 Dec 1940). Gladwyn Kingsley Noble was an American biologist and zoologist. After WW I, he began his life’s work at the American Museum of Natural History, specializing in herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) and experimental biology investigations using techniques of endocrinology and neurology. In an article published in Nature on 7 Aug 1926, Noble debunked Paul Kammerer’s claim that he had induced nuptial pads on midwife toads that were hereditary. After Noble examined a preserved specimen, he revealed the pad was simulated with injected Indian ink. This set off an academic bombshell. He died at the very height of his ability, at age 47, from a streptococcus infection of the throat.
Today in Science History
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Carl Erich Correns (Born 19 Sep 1864; died 14 Feb 1933). German botanist and geneticist who in 1900, independent of, but simultaneously with, the biologists Erich Tschermak von Seysenegg and Hugo de Vries, rediscovered Gregor Mendel’s historic paper outlining the principles of heredity. In attempting to ascertain the extent to which Mendel’s laws are valid, he undertook a classic study of non-Mendelian heredity in variegated plants, such as the four-o’clock (Mirabilis jalapa) which he established (1909) as the first conclusive example of extrachromosomal, or cytoplasmic, inheritance (cases in which certain characteristics of the progeny are determined by factors in the cytoplasm of the female sex cell).
Florentino Ameghino (Born 19 Sep 1853; died 6 Aug 1911). Argentine paleontologist and anthropologist who made significant contributions to the field of vertebrate paleontology and established the Pampas region of Argentina as a rich source of fossils. He discovered over 6,000 fossil species and classified 35 suborders of mammals. Ameghino’s controversial discoveries of stone implements, carved bones, and other signs of a human presence in Argentina during the Pliocene, Miocene, and earlier periods served to increase his worldwide fame.
David Starr Jordan (Died 19 Sep 1931; born 19 Jan 1851). American naturalist, educator, and the foremost American ichthyologist of his time. Jordan was a renowned expert in many fields. For example, he served as an expert witness on the validity of the theory of evolution at the Scopes trial in Tennessee. He was known for his work in education, philosophy, and as a peace activist. He often approached the subject of peace from a biological angle, arguing that war was detrimental to the health of the species because it removed the strongest individuals from the gene pool. Although he campaigned vigorously against US involvement in World War I, once war was declared, he advocated aggressive measures to end the conflict quickly.
Francis Darwin (Died 19 Sep 1925; born 16 Aug 1849). English botanist who was the third son of Charles Darwin, and published the results of his collaboration with his father in the publication of The Movement of Plants (1880).
Georg August Schweinfurth (Died 19 Sep 1925; born 29 Dec 1836). German botanist who travelled in the interior of East Africa (from 1868) and studied the inhabitants together with the flora and fauna of the region. During this journey, in Mar 1870, he discovered the River Welle (Uele), explored the upper Nile basin, and charted the western feeders of the White Nile. He wrote about the cannibalistic practices of the Mangbettu, and his discovery of the pygmy Akka confirmed the existence of dwarf races in tropical Africa (The Heart of Africa, 1873). During 1875-88, he lived in Cairo, where he founded the Royal Geographical Society of Egypt. He made historical, geological, ethnographical and botanical investigations ranging from there to the Arabian desert.
Giacomo Doria (Died 19 Sep 1913; born 1 Nov 1840). Italian naturalist and explorer who conducted important research in systematic zoology. Pursuing his work, he made expeditions to Persia (1862), Borneo (1865-66) and Tunisia (1879). In 1867, he founded the civic museum of natural history in Genoa. The collection he donated became the nucleus of the museum, which he directed for more than 40 years. He was also director of Societa Geografica Italiana (1891-1900). The museum he founded now contains important zoolological, paleontological, botanical, and mineralogical collections from all over the world. These collections are continually growing, now estimated to be more than 3.5 million exhibits.
Olof Swartz (Died 19 Sep 1818: born 21 Sep 1760). Swedish botanist who left a legacy of a collection of plants from his botanical tours of the West Indies, Jamaica, North America, Puerto Rico, Haiti and Cuba between 1783-87. On his return, he described nearly 900 species, most of them new, in Flora Indiae occidentalis (3 vols., 1797-1806). The Swedish Museum of Natural History now holds the collection, about 6000 specimens of phanerogams and ferns, mostly from the West Indies. It is a part of their Regnellian herbarium. He is also noted for his taxonomic studies of specific plant groups, including orchids, mosses and especially ferns. He also published Nova Genera et Species Plantarum seu Prodromus (1788) and Observationes botanicae (1791).
Today in Science History
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Sir John Graham Kerr (Born 18 Sep 1869; died 21 Apr 1957). English embryologist whose research advanced knowledge of the evolution of vertebrates. He also promoted ideas in naval camouflage for WWI. Early in his career, pursuing his zoological interests, Kerr went on two expeditions to the Pilcomayo River in South America. Much of his subsequent research was based on samples collected during these expeditions. In a letter to Winston Churchill, dated 24 Sep 1914, he referred to observing animal camouflage in South America, and recommended painting war ships with graduated shading. He also communicated with Ernest Bevin and Clement Atlee and others concerning camouflage. Although sometimes credited with invention of the dazzle scheme of camouflage, his ideas were less extreme.
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (Died 18 Sep 1840; born 22 Oct 1783). Naturalist, traveler, and writer who made major and controversial contributions to botany and ichthyology. Rafinesque believed that each variety of a species is a “deviant,” which, through reproduction, may become a permanent species; thus, he anticipated, to some extent, part of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Although Rafinesque’s scientific abilities were recognized in his lifetime, he was also severely criticized for sometimes doing careless work and for his tendency to establish new genera and species. Throughout his life he traveled extensively, collected specimens wherever he went, and wrote and published constantly.
Today in Science History
Darwin’s ship HMS Beagle reached the Galapagos Islands on this day in 1835.
From Today in Science History:
Francis Simpson (Born 15 Sep 1912; died 10 Nov 2003). Francis William Simpson was an English naturalist, conservationist and chronicler of the countryside and wild flowers of his native Suffolk. His love of nature began in school, when one of his teachers gave him a flora, a descriptive list of the region’s plants. He became a botanist at Ipswich Museum, where he worked until his retirement in 1977. In 1938, he saved a small meadow, famous for its snakeshead fritillaries, from being drained and ploughed into farmland. Using donations amounting to £75, he was able to purchase the field, Mickfield Meadow, for the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves. Today, it is one of the oldest nature reserves in the country, protecting the meadow flowers in this small area now surrounded by farmland.
Frank Eugene Lutz (Born 15 Sep 1879; died 27 Nov 1943). American entomologist, museum curator, educator, conservationist, and writer who was probably the leading U.S. entomologist of the first half of the twentieth century. He who taught that insects were an integral part of the environment. As a boy, his fascination as a boy watching a caterpillar shedding its skin developed into a lifelong interest in insects. In 1909, he joined the American Museum of Natural History and became (1921) the first curator of the newly created Department of Entomology, where he remained for the rest of life. He created popular museum exhibits, including the first insect dioramas and “insect zoos” featuring live specimens. In the 1920s, established the country’s first guided nature trail in Harriman State Park, New York.
Wilhelm Roux (Died 15 Sep 1924; born 9 June 1850). German zoologist who was a founder of experimental embryology, by which he studied how organs and tissues are assigned their structural form and functions at the time of fertilization. In the 1880s, he experimented with frog eggs. He thought that mitotic cell division of the fertilized egg is the mechanism by which future parts of a developing organism are determined. He destroyed one of the two initial subdivisions (blastomeres) of a fertilized frog egg, obtaining half an embryo from the remaining blastomere. It seemed to him that determination of future parts and functions had already occurred in the two-cell stage and that each of the two blastomeres had already received the determinants necessary to form half the embryo. His theory was later negated by Hans Driesch.
The Dispersal of Darwin 