| Darwin Day is an international celebration of science and humanity as exemplified in the life, work and influence of Charles Darwin. Darwin Day seeks to promote a better understanding of science, the scientific method, and evolutionary biology, in particular. Darwin Day is celebrated on or around February 12, Charles Darwin's birthday. |
| “Some Few Beings Which Lived Long Before”: the importance of the fossil record for evolutionary biology |
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The fossil record is one of the most important data sets that establishes evolution as a scientific fact. Although incomplete, our knowledge of past life is far better than it was in 1859 when Darwin remarked in the Origin of Species, “[t]hat our paleontological collections are very imperfect…”. Fossils collected since Darwin’s time have confirmed many of his predictions and have helped to clarify the historical path that life has taken over the past 3.5 billion years. For this year’s Darwin Day, we will take up the topic of the fossil record and focus on the earliest animal fossils known to scientists, those of the Ediacaran and Cambrian periods. We will examine how fossils are formed, how they are studied by paleontologists, and learn what they can tell us about the earliest history of animal life.
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| (Please return here to see the updated schedule as we add events. Updated October 25, 2006 ) | ||
| February 1 - February 24 | ||
| Gumberg Library Display Cases, Main Floor | "80 years since Scopes" A history of the teaching of evolution in American public schools. This book display documents the teaching (or lack thereof) of evolution over the past 80 years in US public schools. On display are a copy of the textbook from which John Scopes taught, and other notable textbooks featured in landmark court cases from the last 80 years. The display also includes an update on the latest developments on the teaching of intelligent design creationism in the US. | |
| Fossil Lagerstatten: Windows into Earth's Biotic Past.. The Section of Invertebrate Paleontology of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History has loaned Duquesne University a collection of fossils from "Lagerstatten". These are places around the world that have unusually rich fossil deposits. Among the fossils in this display are rare soft-bodied organsims from the famous Burgess Shale fossil site in NW Canada. These are some of the same organisms that will be discussed by Dr. Briggs in his Darwin Day lecture! (special thanks to Albert Kollar of the CMNH for assembling the collection). | ||
| Friday, February 10, 2006. Darwin Day! | ||
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7-8 PM Pappert Lecture Hall, Bayer Learning Center |
Public Lecture (free and open to the public) Dr. Derek Briggs, Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University. "The Cambrian explosion - the evidence of the fossil record" The abstract of Dr. Briggs' talk can be found here. |
| 8-8:30 PM | Discussion following Dr. Briggs' talk. | |
| 8:30-9:00 |
Reception for Dr. Briggs in the Bayer Learning Center lobby.
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| FREE Act 48 credit for seconday school (grades 9-12) teachers will be available through the Darwin Day program. You can register here. Registration is limited to 25 secondary school teachers!! |
| Click here for links that will help you learn more about evolutionary theory. Also, visit the Gumberg Library Darwin Day Websites highlighting various Darwin Day related material and selected books by Darwin, about Darwin, and about Darwin's influence. |
| Click here to learn about our previous Duquesne University Darwin Days |
| Test your knowledge of Evolutionary
Biology: Take the Darwin Day Survey! |
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Surprised that we do this? You shouldn't be. Find out why |
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The Carnegie Museum of Natural History Gumberg Library
Darwin Day Web Site, For more information contact Dr. David Lampe (412-396-6322)
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