DARWIN’S
ODDBALL ARMY:
Amazing Tales of Evolutionary Eccentrics
RICHARD MILNER
Sunday,
May 16, 2010 2:00 P.M. Room 319
American Museum of Natural History New York City
Darwin's
theory of evolution inspired a ragtag army of dinosaur diggers,
monkey watchers, paleontologists and field naturalists - some
of whom were uncommonly brilliant, but also colorful and wildly
eccentric.
This
entertaining talk by Richard Milner, a well known author and
Darwin scholar, chronicles a remarkable cast of characters:
from Waterhouse Hawkins, the first dinosaur artist whose greatest
works are buried beneath New York’s Central Park, to
Kary Mullis, the Nobel laureate who claimed his ground-breaking
discoveries in biotechnology benefitted from conversations
with “a glowing raccoon” in northern California.
Find
out how England’s coprolite diggers saved the country’s
economy by mining tons of dinosaur poop, and learn about the
brilliant scoundrel called Flint Jack, who bamboozled Victorian
gentlemen with his forgeries of prehistoric stone tools. See
how Richard Garner locked himself in a cage in the African
forest in order to safely observe wild apes and monkeys.
Revisit
the feuding impresarios of America’s great “bone
wars,” Edwin D. Cope and Othniel Marsh, whose bitter
rivalry to collect dinosaur fossils led to a lifetime of dirty
tricks and scientific chicanery. (Marsh’s digs in the
American West to collect dinosaur bones in the midst of an
Indian War nearly toppled the Grant Administration.)
Hear
the amazing story of how one of the most brilliant dinosaur
experts of his day, the legendary Transylvanian aristocrat
Baron von Nopsca, attempted to become the king of Albania,
but instead came to a tragic end.
Don’t
miss this slide-illustrated hour of incredible-but-true episodes
in evolutionary science and paleontology by a master storyteller.
Richard
Milner is the author of Darwin’s Universe: Evolution
from A to Z, and is currently working on a book about Charles
R. Knight, considered the father of prehistoric art.
Note:
Due to the large turnout expected for this talk, members are
advised to show up on time in order to get a seat. Seats are
first come, first served.
N.Y.P.S. MEETING DATES FOR THE YEAR
These
are the meeting dates of the New York Paleontological Society
for the 2009-2010 season. We meet at 2:00 P.M. in room 319
at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City
(79th Street and Central Park West). Please check the Newsletter
for information regarding the annual party. Due to changes
in the museum’s schedule, the above dates may change
(usually very unlikely), so check your Newsletter or the monthly
meeting notice on this website.
