UK scientists find 'lost' Darwin fossils
LONDON (AP) — British scientists have found scores of fossils the great evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin and his peers collected but that had been lost for more than 150 years.
Dr. Howard Falcon-Lang, a paleontologist at Royal Holloway, University of London, said Tuesday that he stumbled upon the glass slides containing the fossils in an old wooden cabinet that had been shoved in a "gloomy corner" of the massive, drafty British Geological Survey.
Using a flashlight to peer into the drawers and hold up a slide, Falcon-Lang saw one of the first specimens he had picked up was labeled 'C. Darwin Esq."
"It took me a while just to convince myself that it was Darwin's signature on the slide," the paleontologist said, adding he soon realized it was a "quite important and overlooked" specimen.
He described the feeling of seeing that famous signature as "a heart in your mouth situation," saying he wondering "Goodness, what have I discovered!"
- Links
Frank Martin's Q2 Letter (LINK) Malcolm Gladwell's latest, "Trust No One" (LINK) Evan Osnos profiles Joe Biden (LINK) William Poundstone's latest book: Rock Breaks Scissors: A Practical Guide to Outguessing and Outwitting Almost Everybody...
- Keeping It Simple...
Quotes from the section on 'Simplification' in Seeking Wisdom - from Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin. "We have a passion for keeping things simple." -Charles Munger "It's amazing how many people even today use a computer to do something...
- Darwin's Darkest Hour (nova Documentary)
This two-hour scripted drama tells the remarkable story behind the unveiling of the most influential scientific theory of all time, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. The program is a special presentation from NOVA and National...
- Fivebooks Interview: Jerry Coyne On Evolution
The evolutionary biologist tells us why Darwin is still essential reading and sifts the vast amount of more recent writing on evolution for books that are both inspiring to scientists and accessible to general readers I know you had a hard time narrowing...
- Charlie Rose Show: An Hour About The Life And Work Of Charles Darwin
This 2005 Charlie Rose interview with E.O. Wilson and James Watson ends with Mr. Rose calling it one in which he is most proud: Link to VIDEO .................... Related books: Darwin: The Indelible Stamp: The Evolution of an Idea From So Simple a Beginning:...