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This series of events took place in 2009:
Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of his seminal book, On the Origin of Species. Special programming includes Evolution Matters, a series of evening lectures featuring Harvard professors, and family programs celebrating Darwin’s life and work. To share these programs with others, download the Evolution Matters poster and the Darwin Anniversary Weekend flyer.
Visit Darwin Day 200 at Harvard for more information on celebration activities across Harvard's campus.
Darwin at 200: Rethinking the Revolution
Lecture by Janet Browne
Thursday, February 12, 2009
On February 12, cities and universities around the world will celebrate “Darwin Day.” But what is being celebrated, the achievements of a single individual or the acceptance of his controversial theory of evolution? Harvard's Janet Browne, Aramont Professor of the History of Science, will explore Charles Darwin’s cultural significance and what he has come to represent over time: the idea of scientific progress. Free and open to the public in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street.
Evolution in the Post-Genomic Age
Lecture by Pardis Sabeti
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Charles Darwin and Alfred R. Wallace first presented the theory of
evolution 150 years ago, yet their ideas still thrive in modern
science. Harvard's Pardis Sabeti, a trailblazer in genomic research and
one of today’s “top 100 living geniuses,” will discuss how contemporary
scientists are applying the principles of natural selection to mine the
human genome and untangle the forces that have shaped our species. Dr.
Sabeti is an assistant professor in Harvard University’s Center for
Systems Biology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology.
She is also an associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and
Harvard. Free and open to the public in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street.
Survival of the Swiftest, Smartest, or Fattest? Human Evolution 150 Years After Darwin
Lecture by Daniel Lieberman
Thursday, MArch 5, 2009
One hundred and fifty years after the publication of On the Origin of Species,
we can now trace several major episodes of natural selection that
resulted in modern humans. But, paradoxically, humans have created a
world that is leading to a kind of “dysevolution.” Harvard Professor of
Biological Anthropology Daniel Lieberman explains how many of the
adaptations that enabled us to succeed as active hunter-gatherers,
including the ability to store fat for lean time, can now impair our
well-being and may even threaten our species' very survival. Free and open to the public in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street.
One Beetle Too Many: The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin
Family program and booksigning with Kathryn Lasky and Matthew Trueman
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Children’s book author Kathryn Lasky and artist Matthew Trueman will take us on an illustrated journey through Charles Darwin’s early years—from his childhood activity of collecting beetles in a local pond to his historic voyage around South America in search of the wildlife and geology that would form the basis of his theory of evolution. Free with museum admission.
Image courtesy of Candlewick Press.
An Afternoon with Charles Darwin
Family program with Andrew Berry
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Imagine meeting Charles Darwin! What stories would he tell? What would you ask him? To celebrate the anniversary of his birth, Darwin (as resurrected by Andrew Berry) returns from the past to talk about his life, show some fossils and animal specimens from his voyages, and take you on a walk through the museum’s zoological galleries. Dr. Berry is well-qualified for this role: he teaches evolution at Harvard, runs a history of science program in the United Kingdom on the development of Darwin's ideas, and even attended the same English high school as Darwin. Free with museum admission.
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