Niles Eldredge - The Darwin Blogs

The Darwin Blogs – January 20, 2006.

Welcome to the first Darwin blog! The Darwin blogs are a running commentary on evolution, ranging from the nitty-gritty of modern evolutionary theory, to the origins of evolutionary discourse in the life and work of Charles Darwin, his predecessors, contemporaries and survivors; to the continued impact of evolution on modern life. I’ll be in command, but from time to time you’ll be reading the words of guest bloggers as well (by invitation only!).

The Darwin exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History is setting records in attendance. I am the Curator—the one chiefly responsible for the intellectual content of the exhibition (though I received plenty of help—most notably from renowned Darwin scholar David Kohn, and from Douglas Futuyma, author of the best-selling evolutionary textbook). We opened on November 19, 2005; the show runs until May 29, 2006—and then moves on to Boston, Chicago, Toronto and, eventually London—where it will be in time for the celebration of Darwin’s 200th birthday on February 12, 2009. (He was born the very same day as Abraham Lincoln). We have started the birthday party early!

Crowds are packing the 6000 sq. foot gallery virtually every day—even in the usually moribund days of January post-holiday slowdown. Everyone seems to love it. We have succeeded in creating a visually stunning exhibition, with a fantastic assortment of the “crown jewels” of Darwiniana: Darwin’s geological hammer, his Bible, clinometer, pistol, and cosh from the Beagle. His desk, microscope, and walking stick from his life at Down House later in life. Fossils, plants and animals he collected while on the Beagle. And his letters, notebooks and pages from manuscripts (including his unpublished 1842 Sketch and his 1844 Essay). We have the very items that best highlight Darwin’s story—not just his progress through life, but his intellectual odyssey.

Darwin left such a rich and dense paper trail that it is possible to catch him in the throes of creativity—not just once, but several times, as he got the clues to evolution sorted out (probably while still on the Beagle), saw how to make the very idea of evolution testable; got the notion of natural selection nailed down…and then went on become a great experimentalist and nuanced writer and thinker.

I’ll be tracing out the details of my take on how Darwin did it—what Darwin saw, and how he thought about it, in the blogs to come.

Meanwhile, if you are around New York in the next few months, you owe it to yourself to come see the exhibition. The graphics and architecture are a feast for the eyes (a MUST for anyone who loves Victorian England)—and there are fantastic riches for the intellectual soul……

If you CAN’T make it to the show, my accompanying book (Darwin. Discovering the Tree of Life; Norton, 2005) has many images of the objects on display—and sets forth the Darwin story in some detail.

Welcome to the Darwin blogs!

Niles Eldredge

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