Charles Darwin series

Museum director Craddock Morton launches a symposium for examining and understanding the life and times of Charles Darwin, the impact of his published work and his scientific legacy. Includes an introduction by ABC Radio National science broadcaster Robyn Williams.

Historian Iain McCalman explores the dominant scientific attitudes to ideas of evolution in Britain in the years before Darwin’s Origin was published. He explains why evolution was widely regarded as a lunatic theory and was resisted so fiercely.

Historian Tom Frame explores Charles Darwin’s personal profile and describes the impact of his scientific views, attitudes and opinions on religion.

Frank Nicholas from the School of Veterinary Science outlines Charles Darwin’s visit to Australia on the HMS Beagle in 1836. What Darwin saw contributed to the wealth of evidence he assembled from around the world showing that species have evolved.

Historian Paul Turnbull summarises Charles Darwin’s arguments in Origin, its diverse reception in British and European circles from 1860 to 1900, and how the natural history of humanity came to be envisaged in Darwinian terms.

Historian Barry Butcher explores the work of four Australians who contributed to the growing corpus of Darwinian science from the 1860s to the 1890s: William Edward Hearn, Robert David Fitzgerald, Walter Baldwin Spencer and Alexander Sutherland.

Historian Tony Barta examines to what extent Charles Darwin’s ideas were misused by others and discusses the tragic effect of Darwinian eugenics in Australia and Germany.

Archaeologist Colin Groves outlines the fossil history of human evolution. He examines how some parts of the human fossil record appear to depict gradual change, while others seem better interpreted by the model of punctuated equilibria.

Theologian Neil Ormerod examines debates over creationism, creation science and intelligent design, and how they muddied the waters of what was held in the Catholic Encyclopedia over 100 years ago regarding the theory of evolution.

The impact of adaptation and evolution on the development of modern agricultural crops and the use of genetically modified technologies is outlined by evolutionary biologist Jeremy Burdon.

Science journalist and broadcaster Robyn Williams presents a humorous summary of proceedings from the Charles Darwin symposium.

Writer, lawyer and former science minister Barry Jones opens the Charles Darwin exhibition.