Discovering Darwin: One-day seminar at The National Museum of Ireland

“On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection” by Charles Darwin was published on the 24th of November 1859. Since then there has scarcely been a more revolutionary book in the realm of science.

On the 28th of November the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History is holding a one-day seminar celebrating the 150th anniversary of the publication “On the Origin of Species”. Talks will not only be based on the book’s ideas, but also on how the theory of evolution has evolved over the last 150 years. Nigel Monaghan – Keep of our Natural History Division said “Discovering Darwin is an opportunity to hear from practicing scientists who work with evolutionary theory on a daily basis and to hear firsthand the research based on Darwin’s correspondence. The museum exhibition will use some recent acquisitions and collections from the Natural History Museum. We have a first edition of” On The Origin of Species” on loan to the museum, a model of HMS Beagle and a range of skulls of fossil apes that throw light on human origins. The Natural History Museum collection of Darwin insects will be on view as will Galapagos animals that inspired Darwin”.

The seminar will be held in the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks on Saturday 28th November from 10.00am until 4.00pm

Admission is Free to all Exhibitions

For further press information please contact:

Maureen Gaule, Marketing Executive, Marketing Department, National Museum of Ireland

Tel: 01 - 648 6429 Mob: 087 2819420

Programme Information

9.30am – Opening of Registration

10.00am – Welcome address by Nigel Monaghan, Keeper, National Museum of Ireland – Natural

History

10.15am – Prof. David McConnell, Trinity College Dublin . Darwin, Mendel and the scientific explanation

11.00am – Coffee

11.20am – Dr John van Wyhe, Christ’s College, Cambridge. Charles Darwin: the real “true story”

12.05pm – Dr. Jennifer McElwain, School of Biology & Environmental Science, UCD. A 400 MILLION YEAR History of Plant Evolution and Extinction

12.50pm – Lunch

2.00pm – Dr. Gareth Dyke, School of Biology & Environmental Science, UCD. Moving on from Archaeopteryx: how the work of Darwin and Huxley predicted dinosaurs with feathers.

2.45pm – Dr James McInerney, Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics Unit NUI Maynooth. Was Darwin Wrong? Evolution in microorganisms

3.30pm – Panel Discussion & Question Time, moderated by Nigel Monaghan, Keeper, National Museum of Ireland – Natural History