David Lindberg, Professor of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley, and Steve Croft, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Astronomy at UC Berkeley

How do you connect seemingly separate historical events? Team an astrophysicist and an evolutionary biologist of course. David Lindberg, Professor of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley, and Steve Croft, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Astronomy at UC Berkeley will tie these great anniversaries in a unique lecture this weekend.

Starting 14 billion years ago with the Big Bang, Steve will trace the evolution of the universe, from scorching hot gas forming galaxies to the continued birth and death of new stars. David will step in and discuss how the history of our special little planet is inexorably tied to material raining down from space. The water in our oceans, the formation of some organic molecules, and even mass extinctions on this planet have largely been determined by extraterrestrial events. And let's not forget Area 51 (that's a joke!).

Astronomy and Evolution: From the Death of the Dinosaurs to the Stardust in your Bones

When: Saturday, August 15^th 11AM – 12 PM

Where: 100 Genetics & Plant Biology Building, UC Berkeley Campus

Cost: Free

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"For every five hours of cable news, less than a minute is devoted to science" – Chris Mooney, Author of Unscientific America

Chris has been a lightning rod for controversy ever since he released the bestseller, The Republican War on Science, in 2006. Chris cites some famous stats that scientific illiteracy is increasing: 46 percent of Americans reject evolution and think the Earth is less than 10,000 years old. In his new book, he points the finger at a profit driven media, science phobic politicians, and the arrogance of scientists themselves. (Chris' recent showdown with famous science blogger PZ Myers is widely documented). His main point: this gap hinders productivity and has us falling behind in global innovation.

Then there was the recent Pew survey showing a widening gap between scientists and the public on key issues of global warming, evolution, and use of animals in research. The survey also looked at scientific illiteracy using a 12 question quiz (Take the quiz yourself!) with some surprising results:

• 54% incorrectly identified electrons as bigger than atoms
• 46% thought antibiotics kills viruses as well as bacteria
• 24% failed to correctly a basic question on plate tectonics

But it isn't all doom and gloom, Chris outlines his strategy for closing that gap including sexing up science and training a new generation of science ambassadors in society at large.

Chris Mooney: Unscientific America

When: Monday, August 3^rd 630 PM – 830 PM

Where: Kellogg Auditorium, Silicon Valley Bank, 3005 Tasman Dr., Santa Clara, CA

Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing

Cost: $15 members and non-members advance. $20 members and non-members at the door, Tickets

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Coco-de-mer, the world's largest seeds

There was a great variety of unusual specimens elucidating adaptation and evolution. One caught my eye, however, because I used to pass by it every day at our Howard Street location on the way up to my desk. I had presumed it was a cacao seed, but in truth it was a Coco-de-Mer, better known as the world's largest seed.

Coco-de-Mer, also known as "the double coconut", is the seed of the Lodoicea maldvica plant, a large fan palm that reaches 25 m (82 ft) in height. The palm is only found on two islands -– Praslin & Curieuse in the Seychelles. The palm is best known for the seed of its fruit, which is the largest in the world, weighing in at 15 to 30 kg (33 to 66 lbs).

The palm species was named maldvica after the Maldive Islands, the place the seeds were first found (before the 18th century the Seychelles islands were still uninhabited). Seeds that had germinated (and were therefore hollowed out) would find their way into the water, and prevailing sea currents carried a great many of them to the Maldives. The seeds were used by indigenous people on the islands for medicinal treatments and in trade.

Many stories abounded about the source of the seeds before the truth was discovered in the Seychelles islands in 1768. Many believed the seeds came from a mythical tree that grew at the bottom of the sea. European nobles would often have the Coco-de-Mer seeds cleaned and encrusted with jewels– befitting their mythical origins — in order to display them as collectibles in private galleries. Today, the Coco-de-Mer is still considered a treasure and the seeds and plants from which they grow are protected as a rare species.

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This month marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species. If Darwin were alive today, I think he would be very pleased.

He would undoubtedly be very excited about everything we've learned about biology since his time. Like the rest of us, he would be awed by the beauty, grandeur, and complexity of life on Earth.

He would also be pleased that his ideas about natural selection and evolution are to date the only scientific explanation for all of this. His ideas pervade every aspect of modern biology from medicine to genomics to ecology.

His theories dominate because they are supported by mountains of evidence (Read Why Evolution is True to find out more about the data that supports evolution. You can click here for a review of the book.). The evidence in support of evolution is so overwhelming that there is no real debate about it among biologists.

Of course, like any scientific theory, not every "t" is crossed nor every "i" dotted. But that is more of a reflection on how science works rather than the theory itself.

A scientist gathers some data and then proposes a hypothesis to explain that data. Then the scientist does some experiments to test the hypothesis. The new data either supports the hypothesis, requires that the scientist modify the hypothesis to fit the new data, or requires the scientist to come up with a new hypothesis that better explains the data. Then scientists repeat this process over and over again until the hypotheses can be unified into a theory.

This has gone on for 150 years or so for evolution and if anything, evolution is stronger than it was before. Sure, every now and then a hypothesis within the theory needs to be modified but the theory remains as strong as ever.

In fact, no point of contention has yet been raised that is the straw that will break evolution's back. And there is nothing obvious on the horizon that will.

Darwin would also probably not be surprised that his theory remains controversial because it seems to fly in the face of a Creator. Which is of course nonsense. Despite worries about how Earth being the center of the Universe would cast doubts on the Creator, Christianity survived Copernicus and Galileo. And it will survive Darwin as well.

I heard this interesting interview on NPR over the weekend with Richard Dawkins about his book, The God Delusion. In the interview, Dawkins states that it seems unlikely to him that God would create a Universe that could be explained by natural causes. I disagree.

My understanding is that Christianity is based on faith. If a Creator made the Universe in such a way that scientists could show the Earth was 10,000 years old, then of course a Creator exists. That is the only possibility. So where is the faith in that? How would it be different than the Creator greeting each person and welcoming him or her to the Creator's Universe?

To me it makes sense that a Creator would make a world that was or could be formed naturally. In which case it doesn't really matter scientifically whether life arose on Earth through a Creator or by chance. Both ways require evolution. Thank you Charles Darwin for giving us this great framework within which we can understand life here on Earth.

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The film follows Kavanaugh and his collaborator, University of California-Berkeley doctoral candidate Sean Schoville, as they search for the beetle, then put possible candidates to the test by dissecting them under the microscope and doing genetic testing on them.

It's rare for a biologist to predict the discovery of a new species – even for someone like Kavanaugh, who has discovered 73 new species. For his prediction, he drew inspiration from Charles Darwin's own prediction, which the English naturalist and founder of modern evolutionary biology made in 1862.

When Darwin saw an orchid from Madagascar with a foot-long nectare, he predicted that a pollinator would be found with a tongue (called a proboscis) long enough to reach the nectar inside the orchid's very thin, elongated nectar "pouch." Darwin's prediction was based on his finding that all living beings are related to each other and that some of them evolve closely together. His prediction came true in 1903, when a moth was discovered in Madagascar with a long, thin proboscis, which it uncurls to reach the nectar in the orchid's nectare. In the process of feeding from the orchid, the moth serves as its pollinator. The moth was given the scientific name Xanthopan morganii praedicta, in honor of Darwin’s prediction.

"Chasing Beetles, Finding Darwin" is QUEST TV's contribution to the celebration of Darwin's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book "On the Origin of Species."

Watch Chasing Beetles, Finding Darwin online. You can also see additional photos for this story.

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There are dozens of events celebrating Darwin this month. You can also join QUEST at one of them. On February 26th, QUEST will be screening our half-hour documentary, "Chasing Beetles, Finding Darwin" at the California Academy of Sciences. We'll be joined by two scientists featured in the story. You can get more info or buy tickets here.

Listen to the Investigating Darwin's Legacy radio report online.

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All across the world, scientists are leading a month long celebration of the man and his science, widely seen as the public hero of science and science education.

San Francisco is one of the cities leading the celebration with nearly a hundred evolution specific events throughout the month. Below are a few of my naturally selected picks to celebrate Darwin. For a complete list, check here.

Darwin: the Man, his Science, and his Legacy – UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology 2/7 9:00am-4:00pm
A University of California Museum of Paleontology short course open to the public and particularly geared toward K-16 educators and anyone interested in Darwin and evolution! Call it Darwin 101 & 102.

Darwin Days Book Club: Darwin’s Ghost – Exploratorium 2/8 8:00pm
A lively exchange on this modern-day vision of Darwin’s most notable work. It's better than reading "The Origin of Species".

SF Debate: The Ethics of Personal Genetics – Exploratorium 2/11 7:00pm
An intelligent debate on the ethical questions emerging around sequencing one's personal genome and how that information may be used.

EVOLVE 2009 Kick-Off Party @ Nightlife – California Academy of Sciences 2/12 6:00pm
Explore the Academy's Islands of Evolution exhibit while sipping cocktails and grooving to the beat of an Om Records DJ. Even Charles could appreciate a nice cocktail and some good beats.

Explore Amour: Tracing the Origins of Love - Exploratorium 2/14 2:00pm
Discover the science behind sweet nothings with Dr. Thomas Lewis as he offers a Darwinian twist on modern romance. In a Q&A following his presentation, Dr. Lewis will respond to your passionate questions on love.

Bad Science Film Festival – San Francisco Public Library 2/21 1:00pm
Come to the San Francisco Public Library for an afternoon of movies featuring wacky and weird scientific inaccuracies. Somehow Keanu Reeves avoided this festival.

Porchlight: Evolve – Verdi Club 2/23 8:00pm
Join writer-sketch comedian Beth Lisick and writer-editor Arline Klatte as they begin their 7th year for a special evening with stories centered around evolution.

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Galapagos Tortoise

This has always been an inside joke for me as project management has ranged from animal handling to chocolate tastings during my four year tenure here. My position title finally caught up with my nebulous role – Manager, Special Programming. So when I was asked to help out with exhibits, I was up to the challenge. Little did I know what I was getting myself into!

Right now, exhibits is installing over two hundred specimens into the exhibit cases on the public floor. There is one master list that denotes common name, species name, acquisition source, contact information, dimensions, and status. I was put in charge of updating and organizing that list. This gives the exhibit team more time to clean, catalogue, measure and mount the many specimens before opening day. Specimen mounting is taking place just behind the timeline of exhibit installation. The East Pavilion of exhibit cabinets are almost complete now and the tabletop and wall-mounted cases are being fitted for specimens before the dust has settled from building the overall exhibit framework.

It’s a daunting but very worthwhile task. I get to pour over the master list, sitting in a holding and cleaning room while being stared at by anything from barnacles to a majestic Mountain Lion.

Five of my favorite reptiles have recently relocated to the Galapagos area in the East Pavilion. They are five Galapagos Tortoises mounted on the Tortoise wall. You might not know that Galapagos is Spanish for tortoise and the chain of islands made famous by Charles Darwin were literally named after their largest and oldest residents – the Galapagos Tortoise. One of the perks of double checking information on the Tortoises was noting their metal classification tags. They date back to early 1900's when these specimens were brought back to San Francisco on the Academy Schooner. The Galapagos collection from the Academy voyage revitalized the museum after existing collections were lost in the 1906 earthquake. After the Academy opens to the public, guests will be able to get up close to Academy history in way of the Darwin Finches and Galapagos Tortoises. Some of our collections have never been out on display before. The Finches need incredibly sensitive mounted cases because they are so rare and scientifically valuable.

Helping with this process and seeing the minute detail that is takes to present specimens in a museum setting has been remarkable. I spend a lot of time now going over tiny details but every minute will be worth it when the Academy opens.

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