Boston Flora

Tag: Charles Darwin

  • Saturday, November 8, 2:00 pm – Eight Extraordinary Years of Scientific Travel: Alfred Russel Wallace’s Malay Archipelago

    The Harvard Museum of Natural History will host Andrew Berry, Lecturer on Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, on Saturday, November 8, beginning at 2 pm in Haller Hall (entrance at 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge.) Alfred Russel Wallace, who co-discovered the theory of evolution by natural selection with Charles Darwin, was a remarkable scientist-explorer. His eight years of travel in Southeast Asia (1854–1862) greatly influenced his scientific thinking and resulted in the discovery of thousands of new species, as well as a wonderful account of his journeys, The Malay Archipelago. To celebrate the release of a new edition of this classic work, Andrew Berry will tell Wallace’s extraordinary story, discussing how the book originated and how it shaped future generations of scientific travel. Regular Museum admission rates apply, and enjoy free parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Thursday, November 7, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – 100 Years On: Alfred Russel Wallace, Evolution’s Unsung Discoverer

    Andrew Berry, PhD, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, will speak at the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum on Thursday, November 7, beginning at 7 pn, on Alfred Russel Wallace, Evolution’s Unsung Discoverer. Remarkably, what is arguably the simplest and most powerful theory in all of science, the theory of evolution by natural selection, was discovered not once but twice. It was developed completely independently by two Victorian scientists, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Today Darwin is famous, the face of evolution, but Wallace is very little known. This talk, on, to the day, the centenary of Wallace’s death, will address three issues: 1. Why was this long sought theory discovered twice and more or less at the same time? 2. Who was Wallace, and how did he come to the idea? 3. Why has Wallace been so comprehensively eclipsed by Darwin in the popular imagination? Overall, this talk is a celebration of Wallace’s life and extraordinary contributions. He was a visionary scientist, bold adventurer, superb writer, and compassionate campaigner. Free to Arboretum members and students, $10 nonmember fee.  Register online at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/SelectDate.aspx.

    http://wallace-online.org/wallace.jpeg

  • Saturday, October 26, 11:00 am – 8:00 pm – Alfred Russel Wallace Day

    Although Alfred Russel Wallace co-discovered the theory of evolution by natural selection with Charles Darwin, he has held a relatively obscure place in the history of science. This year marks the centenary of his death and the Harvard Museum of Natural History, in conjunction with the Cambridge Science Festival, is celebrating Wallace’s rich legacy with “Wallace Day” on Saturday, October 26.  Learn more about a brilliant scientist, a heroic naturalist, and a passionate social reformer.

    Event Schedule
    11:00 am – 4:00 pm (In the galleries, free with museum admission)
    Explore the HMNH galleries and see a one-day-only display of Wallace-related specimens and objects from the Museum’s zoological collections. Come see Wallace’s spectacular birds of paradise and birdwing butterflies. At 2:00 pm
, join Alfred Russel Wallace himself (impersonated by Wallace historian and evolutionary biologist Andrew Berry) for a live presentation about his remarkable life as scientist, author, and social activist.

    Evening program (below): Admission is free, but tickets are required. Tickets are available by online registration only.  Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free event parking is available after 3:00 pm in the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

    4:00 pm
    Who was Alfred Russel Wallace?
    A panel discussion with: James T. Costa, Professor of Biology at Western Carolina University; John Durant, Director of the MIT Museum; James Wood, Professor of Literary Criticism at Harvard University and staff writer for The New Yorker. Moderated by Janet Browne, Aramont Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University, and acclaimed biographer of Charles Darwin.

    Parallel Lives: Edward O. Wilson & Alfred Russel Wallace
    A conversation with Edward O. Wilson, Pellegrino University Professor Emeritus, Harvard University, and Andrew Berry, Wallace historian and Lecturer on Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University.

    The evening program will conclude with a reception in the HMNH galleries for all ticket holders.

    http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Observer/Pix/pictures/2013/1/19/1358595917414/Alfred-Russell-Wallace-po-011.jpg

  • Tuesday, May 10, 6:00 pm – The Secrets of Field Notes: Capturing Science, Nature and Exploration

    In a fascinating new collection, Field Notes on Science and Nature, Harvard University Press provides a rare glimpse into the journals and sketches of top scientists such as Charles Darwin, George Schaller, and Kenn Kaufman. Editor Michael Canfield, lecturer in biology at Harvard, will discuss what makes these notes and journals so important, the secrets they reveal, and how they can help us cultivate skills as a gardener, citizen scientist, or adventurer. The free lecture will take place at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge, on Tuesday, May 10, from 6 – 8.  For more information, log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu, or call 617-495-3045.

  • Sunday, May 22 – Tuesday, May 31 – Gracious Gardens & Architectural Gems of London, Sussex & Hampshire

    Yale Educational Travel announces an exclusive trip, Gracious Gardens & Architectural Gems of London, Sussex & Hampshire, featuring Yale Faculty Linda Peterson and Fred Strebeigh, May 22 to May 31. This unforgettable journey through the English countryside in late spring, when glorious gardens are in full bloom, will provide a privileged look at great houses built by the English aristocracy – many carefully restored by the families who live there.  You will, by special arrangement, attend the celebrated Chelsea Flower Show on Members’ Day, a visit to Down House, where Charles Darwin worked on his scientific theories and wrote On the Origin of Species, and 17th century Bateman’s, home to Rudyard Kipling from 1902 – 1936..  Then, travel south to East Sussex, including a visit to Scotney Castle, whose gardens are renowned for spectacular displays of rhododendrons and azaleas.  In Hampshire, you will stop en route at Petworth House, a late 17th century mansion housing a fine collection of works by Turner and Van Dyck.  You will also visit Firle Place, an intriguing mix of Tudor and Georgian style, and Highclere Castle, a Victorian home in high Elizabethan style, with a park designed by Capability Brown, and Osborne House (below) on the Isle of Wight.  $6,995 per person, double occupancy, with a single supplement of $1,125. For a brochure and complete information, call 203-432-1952, or make a reservation on line at www.YaleEdTravel.org/england11.

  • Saturday, February 5, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Darwinian Botany

    As a young man, Charles Darwin traveled on the HMS Beagle to the Galapagos archipelago, and later in his life offered to the scientific world the theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin was also an expert botanist, and in his writings described pollination mechanisms, heterostyly, and insectivory. Join Darwinian student and botanist Dr. Judith Sumner at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Massachusetts on Saturday, February 5, from 10 – 3, for this exploration of the life and botanical work of Charles Darwin. Discuss Darwin’s life, his voyage (1831-36) on the HMS Beagle, and his various botanical works. The course includes hands-on demonstrations and observations of plants that fascinated Darwin, as well as a traditional English tea to celebrate the anniversary of his birth on February 12. Co-sponsored by The New England Wild Flower Society and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. $70 for members of either sponsoring organization, $84 for non-members. www.newfs.org.

  • Thursday, November 4, 6:00 pm – Darwin’s “Abominable Mystery” and the Search for the First Flowering Plants

    Charles Darwin was baffled by many big questions in evolutionary biology, and none more so than the mystery of how the planet’s first flowering plants came to be. On Thursday, November 4, beginning at 6 pm, join William (Ned) Friedman, Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at University of Colorado, for an exploration into the evolutionary origin of flowering plants, and how recent advances in the fossil record have shed new light on what they may have looked like, where they “lived,” and how they reproduced. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Part of the Asa Gray Bicentennial series.  For more information, log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu.  Image courtesy of NASA.

  • Thursday, October 21, 6:00 pm – Corresponding Naturalists: Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, and the Making of American Botany

    Asa Gray’s extensive correspondence with naturalists shaped the early years of exploration and botanical research in North America. These letters brought Gray into contact with Charles Darwin, who became a close friend. With the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, Gray soon emerged as the key proponent and defender of natural selection in the U.S.  On Thursday, October 21, beginning at 6 pm, Janet Browne, Aramont Professor of the History of Science at Harvard, will discuss their letters , which reflect a warm personal relationship as well as the making of an intellectual revolution. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Part of the Asa Gray Bicentennial series.  For more information, log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Three Corn Maze Opportunities

    Have you ever walked through a corn maze?  This autumn, three fantastic opportunities await, one in Sterling, one in Sunderland, and one in Ipswich. The picture below, by the way, is not one of these featured mazes, but gives you an idea of what’s in store.  Pick a sunny day and commune with your inner child:

    Mega Maze Corn Maze — Sterling
    Now through November 15, 2009
    Every year brings a whole new puzzle, theme, and challenge.  Davis’ Mega Maze features more bridges than any other field maze in the world and the only double-decker bridge. There is more than one solution to the Mega Maze and there are several different levels of intensity at which the maze can be completed. All offer varying degrees of difficulty and a new maze experience. Location: Davis’ Mega Maze, 145 Redstone Hill. Time: August 6-Labor Day, open daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; September 8-10, closed; September 11-October 31, open weekends only, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; November 1-November 15. open weekends only, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Weather Decisions are made each day by 8 am. Cost: Adults, $16.95; seniors older than 60 and children age 5-12, $12.95. Information: 978-422-8888 or visit www.davisfarmland.com/megamaze.

    Mike’s Corn Maze at Warner Farm – Sunderland
    Now through October 31, 2009
    The 2009 Maze celebrates the 173rd anniversary of the conclusion of the voyage of The HMS Beagle. The maze features the famed British naturalist Charles Darwin with his penetrating gaze chiseled out of solid corn. Darwin is pictured with an assortment of the Galapagos finches whose habitats were isolated volcanic islands. Put on your farm appropriate footwear and come for a nature walk along miles of corn-lined trails. No pets. Location: Warner Farm, 25 South Main Street. Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Cost: Adults over age 13, $9; students and seniors over age 60, $8; children age 4-12, $6. Information: 413-665-8331 or visit www.mikesmaze.com.

    Marini Farm Corn Maze – Ipswich
    Now through October 31, 2009
    Experience one of the largest and most challenging corn mazes in the New England region. Travel ear to ear in 8 acres of interactive learning and adventure. Maize Quest is great fun for families, scouts, youth groups, and birthday parties. Location: 259 Linebrook Road. Time: Thursday and Friday, 3-6 p.m.; weekends, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Cost: Adults, $9.50; children younger than 12, $7.50. Information: 978-356-0430 or visit www.marinifarm.com.