Boston Flora

Tag: Darwin’s Backyard

  • Wednesday, October 20, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm – The Other Darwin: Alfred Russel Wallace and the Origin of Species, Online

    Against all odds — lacking wealth, formal education, social standing or connections, Alfred Russel Wallace became the pre-eminent tropical explorer of his day, founding one entirely new discipline — evolutionary biogeography — and, with Darwin, co-founding another: evolutionary biology.

    With the 2023 centennial year of his birth approaching, join Harvard Alumni Travels online as we trace the epic trajectory of Wallace’s life and thinking, from his meteoric rise in the 19th century to his virtual eclipse in the 20th. Along the way we’ll explore the ups and downs of Wallace’s relationship with Darwin, and critically evaluate the ‘conspiracy theories’ that Wallace was wronged by Darwin and his circle over credit for the discovery of natural selection.

    Jim Costa is a long-time Research Associate in Entomology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology and HAA Travel Program Study Leader. As Executive Director of the Highlands Biological Station in Highlands, NC and Professor of Biology at Western Carolina University, he teaches biogeography and the history of evolutionary thinking. Jim has held fellowships at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, and was awarded the Wallace Medal in 2017. His books include The Annotated Origin (Harvard), Darwin’s Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory (W.W. Norton) and, most recently, An Alfred Russel Wallace Companion (Chicago). He is currently working on books elating to Darwin and Wallace for Princeton University Press.

    Space is limited and on a first come, first serve basis! Please note, this lecture will be recorded and shared with you. Register (free) HERE.

  • Thursday, September 14, 6:00 pm – Darwin’s Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory

    James T. Costa, Professor, Department of Biology, Western Carolina University Executive Director, Highlands Biological Station, University of North Carolina, will give a free lecture at Harvard Museum of Natural History’s Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, on Thursday, September 14 at 6 pm, as part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series, supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. Charles Darwin, iconic evolutionary biologist, was a naturalist with a passion for experiments. Sometimes quirky, always illuminating, Darwin’s experiments were an ever-present part of his home life, taking over his house, garden, and greenhouse, as well as surrounding meadows and woodlands, while often involving family, friends, and neighbors as research assistants. James Costa will discuss this inventive side of Darwin, detailed in his new book, Darwin’s Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory. Following the lecture, visit the museum galleries, where Harvard students and museum educators will demonstrate a selection of Darwin’s experiments. Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.