Darwin
Category archives for Darwin
Charles Darwin – Notebooks
Posted by Greg Laden on February 15, 2008 Darwin published hundreds of pages of text, but he also kept notebooks many of which come down to us today. They can be roughly divided into two aspects, the Beagle field notebooks of 1831 – 1836, and his later notes. Sometimes these notes are found in a single book, and one way they are told…
Darwin and the Voyage: 07 ~ South of the Tropics
Posted by Greg Laden on February 13, 2008 Eventually, the Beagle headed south to the area of Uruguay and Argentina, still on the Atlantic Coast, where extensive mapping of the coastal waters was required.
Proven: Michael Behe is a Moron
Posted by Greg Laden on February 10, 2008 Michael Behe made a guest appearance in Beaver County the other day to engage in a debate on intelligent Design vs. Real Science. He got interviewed by a local reporter, who posed questions to both Behe and his antagonist. Here I provide a few excerpts for your amusement.
Darwin’s Plantation: Evolution’s Racist Roots
Posted by Greg Laden on February 10, 2008 The provocative title of this post is the title of a new book, by Ken Ham (founder of the absurd Creation Museum, in the woeful state of Kentucky) . Charles ware is co-author.
Darwin and the Voyage: 06 ~ Bugs
Posted by Greg Laden on February 10, 2008 When reading the Voyage, it is impossible to miss the observation that much of the time Darwin was engaged in adolescent boy behavior: Pulling the heads off insects, noting how long they would wiggle after cut in half, closely examining the ooze and guts, occupied much of his time. Obviously, careful observation and a strong…
On the Origin of Species
Posted by Greg Laden on February 9, 2008 … is a book by Charles Darwin. But it is also a web page at The Guardian (UK). 150 years ago, Charles Darwin unveiled his theory of natural selection. To mark this anniversary we bring you the definitive guide to the naturalist’s great book, with extracts from key chapters and essays from leading scientists and…
Darwin and the Voyage: 05 ~ South America on Five Dollars a Day
Posted by Greg Laden on February 9, 2008 What do you eat when you are traveling the world in search of truth about the natural world? Most of the time Darwin ate pretty well…
Darwin and the Voyage: 04 ~ Darwin Gets his Wellies Wet
Posted by Greg Laden on February 7, 2008 I became acquainted with an Englishman who was going to visit his estate … more than a hundred miles [north] of Cape Frio. As I was quite unused to travelling, I gladly accepted his kind offer of allowing me to accompany him. And so was the case with a number of Darwin’s excursions into the…
The Three Necessary and Sufficient Conditions of Natural Selection
Posted by Greg Laden on February 5, 2008 Natural Selection is the key creative force in evolution. Natural selection, together with specific histories of populations (species) and adaptations, is responsible for the design of organisms. Most people have some idea of what Natural Selection is. However, it is easy to make conceptual errors when thinking about this important force of nature. One way…
Darwin and the Voyage: 03 ~ The Rain Forest
Posted by Greg Laden on February 4, 2008 The first time I read the following passage from The Voyage, I was reminded of my own first experience in a rain forest (in Zaire). Evident in this passage is at least a glimmering of Darwin’s appreciation for the complexity of ecosystems. Darwin could be considered the first scientific ecologist. Enough of my commentary ……
The Modes of Natural Selection
Posted by Greg Laden on February 3, 2008 There many ways of dividing up and categorizing Natural Selection. For example, there are the Natural Selection, Sexual Selection and Artificial Selection, and then there is the Modes of Selection (Stabilizing, Directional, and Disruptive) trichotomy. We sense that these are good because they are “threes” and “three” is a magic number. Here, I’m focusing on…
Darwin and the Voyage: 02 ~ Crossing The Atlantic
Posted by Greg Laden on February 3, 2008 Behold this humble passage by Darwin, which is what immediately follows his discussion of the octopus. This passage is a touchstone to several important aspects of what Darwin was doing and thinking, and is a poignant link to what Darwin did not know:
Darwin and the Voyage: 01 ~ Introduction
Posted by Greg Laden on February 2, 2008 Of his time on the Beagle (1832 – 1836), Darwin wrote, “The voyage of the Beagle has been by far the most important event in my life and has determined my whole career.” Of the manuscript describing that voyage, he wrote, “The success of this my first literary child always tickles my vanity more than…
This is Darwin Month
Posted by Greg Laden on February 1, 2008 “My bones are almost 200 years old.” Charles Darwin’s bones will be 199 years old on February 12th. There will be celebrations, shipbuilding, and blogging. I’ll try very hard to do something every day, including later today. Beginning tomorrow, this blog will join Charles Darwin on board the Beagle for a trip around the world.
War on Science – intelligent design – Part 5
Posted by Greg Laden on January 29, 2008 “Dover may be the first of many battles to follow…”
War on Science – intelligent design – Part 4
Posted by Greg Laden on January 28, 2008 “The first witness called by attorneys for the parents was Dr. Kenneth Miller”
Interview with Karen James
Posted by Greg Laden on January 28, 2008 of The Beagle Project! Here, at A Blog Around the Clock. The Beagle Project is Here.
HURRY UP! Home School Science Fair Deadline Is Almost Here!!!
Posted by Greg Laden on January 28, 2008 The Twin Cities Creation Science Association Home School Science Fair, held each year in February, in Har Mar Mall, Roseville, Minnesota, will occur this year on Saturday & Sunday, February 16 and 17, 2008. The Application Deadline is January 31st, 2008 ($5.00 entry fee) You can register after January 31st at the door for only…
War on Science – intelligent design – Part 3
Posted by Greg Laden on January 27, 2008 “Eventually, I came up with a name for it. I called it ‘irreducible complexity’”
Hybrids of Blind Fish Can See
Posted by Greg Laden on January 27, 2008 The loss of sight in cave dwelling species is widely known. We presume that since sight in utter darkness has no fitness value, the mutation of a gene critical to the development of the sense of sight is not selected against. Over time, any population living in darkness will eventually experience experience such mutations, and…
War on Science – intelligent design – Part 2
Posted by Greg Laden on January 26, 2008 “Twelve mentions of Charles Darwin in a 1,400 page textbook…”
Darwin Awards
Posted by Greg Laden on January 26, 2008 Sorry, embedding disabled… but you can see it here.
The Beagle Project: Endorsed by a pantheon of Science Bloggers…
Posted by Greg Laden on January 22, 2008 You are going to be hearing a lot more about Darwin in the month of February, which is Darwin Month here on The Internet. (It is also Creationist Home Schooling Science Fair month, so hang on to your mice and keyboards!!!!) I have a Darwin plan of my own that you will be learning of…
Happy Birthday Alfred Russel Wallace
Posted by Greg Laden on January 13, 2008 We are reminded, via Mousie Cat at Evolving in Kansas, that Yesterday (I’m so embarrassed I missed this) was Alfred Russel Wallace’s birthday! Wallace was born in 1823. We should now clearly recognise the fact, that the wealth and knowledge and culture of the few do not constitute civilization, and do not of themselves advance…
Charles Darwin Video
Posted by Greg Laden on December 15, 2007 This is actually a pretty good video.
, which is now available for the 
