HMS

Darwin, the most in-depth exhibition ever mounted on this highly original naturalist and his theory of evolution, will remain on view at the Museum through May 29, 2006. It offer visitors a comprehensive, engaging exploration of the life and times of Charles Darwin, whose discoveries, observations, and insights in the 19th century forever changed the perception of the origin and nature of our own species and launched--and remain central to--modern biological science. Darwin is the latest in a series of exhibitions the Museum has developed on great thinkers, explorers, and scientists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Ernest Shackleton, and Albert Einstein.

"This exhibition features the greatest collection of Darwin artifacts, specimens, and memorabilia ever assembled," said Niles Eldredge, Curator in the Museum's Division of Paleontology and curator of Darwin. "We have specimens Darwin collected on the Beagle reunited for the first time since the 1830s with some of his diaries full of notes and analyses of them. We Hill have critical correspondence, notebooks, and manuscripts revealing the development of Darwin's evolutionary ideas and his agony as he kept his ideas secret from a sure-to-be disapproving public for 20 years."

Visitors will learn how Darwin arrived at the conclusion--a heretical one at the time--that life on Earth is not static, but changing, and how his theory of natural selection offered a mechanism to explain the production of the amazing diversity of life on Earth. These insights continue to have enormous relevance and importance today as Museum scientists and their colleagues worldwide apply concepts derived from his work to global inventories of life, conservation biology, reconstruction of the evolutionary Tree of Life, and the treatment of diseases ranging from AIDS to SARS.

Highlights of the exhibition include:

* An introduction to Darwin, the man, as well as the significance of his thinking at the time of its emergence and continuing through today. This section features the Darwin family magnifying glass, which the young naturalist likely used to closely examine his surroundings with the habitual curiosity that shaped his life.

* Some of the wonders Darwin witnessed on his five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle, which he called the most important event in his life. Visitors Hill see live Galapagos tortoises and an Argentinian homed frog, reminiscent of the species Darwin studied on his journey. Also on display will be fossils and mounted specimens of the uniquely American modern animal groups he saw, along with actual specimens he collected and some personal items he took with him on the voyage, including his pistol and his Bible.

* A video biography of Darwin, narrated by his great-great-grandson Randal Keynes, author of Darwin, His Daughter, and Human Evolution, which will introduce visitors to the political, social, and scientific climates of 19th-century England. The Film will retrace Darwin's life via footage shot on location in England, giving insight into the place and time in which he conducted decades of research and wrote many of his 20 books, including the seminal The Origin of Species.

* Notebooks and letters charting the development of his thinking, which illustrate his growing reputation in London during those years and the social climate within which he conducted his research. This section will also include specimens critical to the development of his theory, such as the original fossil skull of a hoofed mammal, Toxodon platensis, that he collected on the Beagle expedition and later discussed with colleagues.

"Since its inception, the American Museum of Natural History has been a pioneer and leader in scientific research that pursues and develops the incredible insights of Charles Darwin and the implications of his theory of evolution," said Michael J. Novacek, Senior Vice President, Provost of Science, and Curator in the Division of Paleontology. "I'm excited that this exhibition will relate the riveting story of the origins of evolutionary theory that paved the way for the state-of-the-art research that our exceptional curators and scientific staff at the Museum conduct today in the fields of biology, paleontology, and anthropology."

Darwin is the first exhibition to feature an extensive and in-depth array of material related to Darwin's life and works. The exhibition is mounted in cooperation with English Heritage, the organization that administers Down House, Darwin's longtime home; the Natural History Museum, London, one of the primary repositories, along with Cambridge University, of Darwin's writings and many of the specimens he collected during the Beagle's journey; and some of Darwin's living family members. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Eldredge and is designed and produced by the American Museum of Natural History's Department of Exhibition.

The American Museum of Natural History gratefully acknowledges The Howard Phipps Foundation for its leadership support.

Significant support for Darwin has also been provided by Chris and Sharon Davis, Bill and Leslie Miller, the Austin Hearst Foundation, Jack and Susan Rudin, and Rosalind P. Walter. Additional funding provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Dr. Linda K. Jacobs.

Darwin is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, (www.amnh.org), in collaboration with the Museum of Science, Boston; The Field Museum, Chicago; the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada; and the Natural History Museum, London, England.

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