George Lyell News Today

In early 1947, the Melbourne Museum discovered the loss of more than 800 specimens of rare Australian butterflies. When other museums reported similar thefts, the trail led to a former champion skier trying to cope with a crumbling marriage.

The study of Charles Darwin is a useful exercise in the history of science, as it teaches us that the library of ideas associated with evolutionary thinking (for example, natural selection and descent with modification) were developed from a suite of concepts from across multiple disciplines, and involved deep reflections and debates around the connection between science and society.

In “Explaining Life Through Evolution,” Prosanta Chakrabarty explores Darwin's legacy, and why it's crucial today.