Celebrate Darwin Day with a keynote lecture by James E. Strick, professor and chair of the Science, Technology and Society Program at Franklin and Marshall College.
This year’s presentation delves into Darwin’s nuanced and often private perspectives on the origin of life. Though widely assumed to connect his theory of evolution with life arising through natural chemical processes, Darwin’s public and private remarks reveal ambivalence and evolving positions. Dr. Strick will contextualize these perspectives within Victorian debates on spontaneous generation, germ theory and the broader implications for modern origin-of-life research, including NASA’s quest to understand the universe’s potential to harbor life beyond Earth.
Prior to the lecture (3:30 p.m.), enjoy a special exhibit of Darwin-related items from the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection and Special Collections, including early editions of Origin of Species, The Voyage of the Beagle, and The Descent of Man, as well as a letter by Darwin, a book from his personal library, and a photograph by Julia Margaret Camero.
Light refreshments sponsored by the Friends of the University of Delaware Library.