Collecting Evolution

The Galapagos Expedition That Vindicated Darwin
Erscheinungsjahr 2017
ISBN: 978-0-19-935459-7
Verlag: OXFORD UNIV PR

Buch, Englisch, 304 Seiten, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 625 g

In 1905, eight men from the California Academy of Sciences set sail from San Francisco for a scientific collection expedition in the Galapagos Islands, and by the time they were finished in 1906, they had completed one of the most important expeditions in the history of both evolutionary and conservation science. These scientists collected over 78,000 species during their time on the islands, validating the work of Charles Darwin and laying the groundwork for foundational evolution texts like Darwin's Finches. Despite its significance, almost nothing has been written on this voyage, lost amongst discussion of Darwin's trip on the Beagle and the writing of David Lack.
In Collecting Evolution, Matthew James finally tells the story of the 1905 Galapagos expedition. James follows these eight young men aboard the Academy to the Galapagos and back, and reveals why they were able to have the groundbreaking success they had. A current Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, James uses his access to unpublished writings and photographs to provide unprecedented insight into the expedition. We learn the voyagers' personal stories, and how, for all the scientific progress that was made, just as much intense personal drama unfolded on the trip. This is a watershed moment in scientific history, crossed with a maritime adventure: there are suicides, controversies over credit and fame, and the tragic killing of now-extinct species. The book discusses how these men thought of themselves as "collectors" before they thought of themselves as scientists, and the implications this had on their approach and their results.
In the end, the voyage of the Academy proved to be crucial in the development of evolutionary science as we know it. It is the longest expedition in Galapagos history, and played a critical role in cementing Darwin's legacy. Collecting Evolution brings this extraordinary story to light, bringing its scientists and their journey to life.

Autoren/Hrsg.

James, Matthew J.

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Formalen Wissenschaften & Technik
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Wissenschafts- und Universitätsgeschichte
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Populärwissenschaftliche Werke
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Evolutionsbiologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- Preface

- Acknowledgements

- Note to the Reader

- Prologue

- 1: Halfway to the Stars

- 2: Walking in Darwin's Footsteps

- 3: Setting Sail from San Francisco

- 4: Before It Is Too Late

- 5: Collecting Evolution

- 6: Galápagos at Last

- 7: Confluence: Where Geography and Ideas Meet

- 8: On Death, and Life, in Galápagos

- 9: Down to the Sea in Ships: Ship's Log, 1905

- 10: Rising from the Ashes

- 11: Ship's Log, 1906

- 12: That Sinking Feeling

- 13: Darwin's Islands Meet the Plant Wizard of Santa Rosa

- 14: The Voyage Home: Ship's Log

- 15: Vindicating Darwin

- Epilogue -- Legacy: Recent Use of California Academy of Sciences Specimens

- Chronology of the 1905 -- 1906 Galápagos Expedition

- Bibliography

- Index

Über Autor(innen)

Matthew James is a Fellow of the the California Academy of Sciences, and Professor of Paleontology at Sonoma State University. He has been writing about the Galapagos in historical, scientific, and research capacities for over thirty years.