Reminder – David Attenborough on Darwin, Sunday BBC1 9pm. Here is Nature’s trailer.
According to the Radio Times, Attenborough gets hate mail from creationists over his views.
DA says:
“They always mean beautiful things like hummingbirds. I always reply by saying that I think of a little child in east Africa with a worm burrowing through his eyeball. The worm cannot live in any other way, except by burrowing through eyeballs. I find that hard to reconcile with the notion of a divine and benevolent creator.”
What’s all this then? A protective alliance of anteaters and pandas? Or are they just good mates out for a stroll?
All mixed up
Neither. Take a closer look and you’ll see it’s all one animal. What’s more, pandas come from China and anteaters are from Central and South Amercia, so there’s no way they could have fixed up a stunt like this – through evolutionary synergies or otherwise. Unless you know different?
Just to complicate matters further, I took the photo in a North American zoo.
UK newspaper ‘The Independent’ today featured this spine tingling story about what is probably the world’s oldest animal, and reminding us that man doesn’t hold all the cards – especially when it comes to longevity.
A Galapogos tortoise (photo WikiCommons)
I gave Nippy, the world’s oldest gibbon, a mention earlier this year when he passed away at almost 60 years of age. Now we find there is actual photographic evidence that a giant tortoise from St.Helena has probably lived to more than 175 years. That would make ‘Jonathan’ the world’s oldest living animal.
Of course there are trees and funghi that have lived much longer, but without resorting to the fantasy of Tolkien’s noble ‘Ents’, its not the same thing.
Ancient sequoia……not the same thing (photo WikiCommons)
The last excitement we had in the same vein was the death of the Galapagos tortoise ‘Harriet’, who reached 175 years spot-on, and the accolade she may have owned the oldest eyeballs to have formed an image of the living Charles Darwin.
And these are the Otaheite Dog and Wolf, or at least 1788 aquatint renditions of them, made with some license if the awkward stance and anthropomorphic gaze are to be believed; but let that not distract from their story.
Acquatint of the Otaheite Dog by Charles Catton (Tim Jones's collection)Acquatint of the Otaheite Wolf by Charles Catton (Tim Jones's collection)
Drawn from life, engraved, and published by Charles Catton in his ‘Animals, Drawn From Nature and Engraved in Aqua-tinta‘, in 1788, the prints are technically interesting as representing the first use of aquatint for natural history illustration.
Catton started life as a coach painter, expertly representing animals in heraldry, and achieving the rank of coach painter to George III. Later in his career he helped document animals observed by adventurers like John White, who travelled to the South Seas in 1787, and whose ‘A Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales’ featured Catton’s picture of an Australian kangeroo. Like most artists at this time, Catton didn’t actually travel with the explorers, but worked from live and dead specimens sent home from the New World expeditions.
Catton's Kangeroo for John White
A contemporary advertisement for the journal contains a statement on accuracy that, applied to the Otaheite dog, is indefensibile by modern standards:
“The Public may rely, with the most perfect confidence, on the care and accuracy with which the drawings have been copied from nature, by Miss Stone, Mr. Catton, Mr. Nodder, and other artists; and the Editor flatters himself the Engravings are all executed with equal correctness, by, or under the immediate inspection of Mr. Milton.”
Despite their failings, Catton’s aquatints were an honest attempt to represent reality. What they lack, with the animals drawn dead and out of context, is any essence of the beasts: be that energy, poise, or sloth.
Catton’s Otaheite dog and wolf look similar, which is intriguing given John White made the same observation of their Australian counterparts:
“This animal is a variety of the dog, and, like the shepherd’s dog in most countries, approaches near to the original of the species, which is the wolf, but is not so large, and does not stand so high on its legs.
The ears are short, and erect, the tail rather bushy; the hair, which is of a reddish-dun colour, is long and thick, but strait. It is capable of barking, although not so readily as the European dogs; is very ill-natured and vicious, and snarls, howls, and moans, like dogs in common.
Whether this is the only dog in New South Wales, and whether they have it in a wild state, is not mentioned; but I should be inclined to believe they had no other; in which case it will constitute the wolf of that country; and that which is domesticated is only the wild dog tamed, without having yet produced a variety, as in some parts of America.”
Note the language: “approaches near to the original of the species”. Some concept of evolution clearly existed way before Darwin published his 1859 Origin of Species.
Joseph Banks
The London Natural History Museum’s beautiful ‘Voyages of Discovery’ describes the Pacific crossing made by James Cook, Sir Joseph Banks, and Sydney Parkinson on the Endeavour, including their visit to Otaheite. What it fails to mention is the Otaheite dog and, more importantly – how to cook it. For that we must turn to primary sources. In ‘A Journey of a Voyage to the South Seas‘, Sydney Parkinson describes how civilised Englishmen came to share the Otaheite locals’ penchant for tasty roast dog:
“These people also are fond of dog’s-flesh, and reckon it delicious food, which we discovered by their bringing the leg of a dog roasted to sell. Mr. Banks ate a piece of it, and admired it much. He went out immediately and bought one, and gave it to some Indians to kill and dress it in their manner, which they did accordingly. After having held the dog’s mouth down to the pit of his stomach till he was stifled, they made a parcel of stones hot upon the ground, laid him upon them, and singed off the hair, then scraped his skin with a cocoa shell, and rubbed it with coral; after which they took out the entrails, laid them all carefully on the stones, and after they were broiled ate them with great goût; nor did some of our people scruple to partake with them of this indelicate repast. Hav-ing scraped and washed the dog’s body clean, they prepared an oven of hot stones, covered them with bread-fruit leaves, and laid it upon them, with liver, heart and lungs, pouring a cocoa-nut full of blood upon them, covering them too with more leaves and hot stones, and inclosed the whole with earth patted down very close to keep in the heat. It was about four hours in the oven, and at night it was served up for supper: I ate a little of it; it had the taste of coarse beef, and a strong disagreeable smell; but Captain Cook, Mr. Banks, and Dr. Solander, commended it highly, saying it was the sweetest meat they had ever tasted; but the rest of our people could not be prevailed on to ate any of it.”
And that about wraps it up for the Otaheite Dog. Yummy.
Early warning of three events into the new year that folk might like to consider joining. The Darwin related talks will sell out fast for sure – so think ahead – like me.
‘Weird Science’, Saturday 17th January 2009, London
Organised by the Centre for Inquiry, this all-day event promises to explore ‘Weird Science – science of the weird, and weird and flaky science’ . So pretty weird.
Expect presentations from Ben Goldacre, Richard Wiseman, Chris French and Steven Law. The venue is Conway Hall, Red Lion Square. Details at Centre for Inquiry.
Darwin Day Lecture, 12th February 2009, London
Prof Sir David King
You’ll be aware from previous posts that Darwin will be a bigger deal than usual next year, and appreciate the need to book early for events like the NSS lunch on 7th February. An event guaranteed to be even more popular is the BHA’s annual Darwin Day Lecture, given by Professor Sir David King on ‘Can British Science Rise to the New Challenges of the Twenty First Century?’ Good question. The event will be held at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1 on Thursday 12th February at 6.30pm. Attendance at the lecture is £5 for members of the BHA and £7 for others. Tickets are available from the British Humanist Association on 020 7079 3580 or by email on info@humanism.org.uk
Dan Dennett Lecture, 19th March 2009, London
Dan Dennett
I’m not alone in tagging Dan Dennett as the more philosophical, patient, and possibly more persuasive member of the media-branded atheist quartet of Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens and Harris.
On 19th March we will get to hear what will doubtless be an insightful and balanced analysis on ‘A Darwinian Perspective on Religions: Past, Present and Future’. Who better to deliver that than the author of Darwin’s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life (Penguin Science)
The location, prices, and contact details are as for the Darwin Day Lecture above.
Do you find that riding a bicycle brings out your most inspired thoughts on evolutionary biology and learned behaviour? Do world-changing paradigms in the nature-versus-nurture debate spring unbidden into your oxygen enriched mind? No, me neither.
Run Rabbit Run (Photo: Tim Jones)
Well not normally. Thing is, I did today observe that the rabbits and squirrels on my Thames-side cycle route were markedly less afraid of a wheeled me than a walking me. Not only did the rabbits take their time getting out of the way (doubtless some variant of the ‘frozen in the headlamps’ syndrome), but also hung around after I stopped. Squirrels behaved in a similar fashion, as did magpies (which as a species seem to spend a good 50% of their time on the ground).
Trench warfare! (Photo: Tim Jones)
It’s well known that animals associate threat or opportunity with the shape of a predator or prey. Good advice in lion country is never to squat down or bend over. Those actions make humans look like four legged prey to large cats, so any bending at the waist while in mountain lion territory is a no-no (as my wife twice reminded me this summer as I tied my shoelaces in the San Gabriel mountains of Southern California).
Freeze ! (Photo:Tim Jones)
But how much of the rabbit’s behaviour is learned, and how much is in the genes? Over what timescales do these influences operate? Indeed, to be fashionable, should I not consider whether an epigenetic influence is at work here, whereby gene activating chemistry has been triggered in an earlier generation of rabbits and passed to Junior – grandad meets a bipedal human with shotgun say, rather than jump to the more conventional explanation of gene natural selection?
Actually I’m inclined to jump to the conventional explanation. Sat on a bike we no longer look human, and bicycles haven’t been around long enough (and/or in a sufficiently rabbit-unfriendly incarnation) to reflect in rabbit evolutionary traits. The association of threat with the shape of a two legged man is, I suggest, genetic. The rabbit population of England has been managed as a commodity for centuries (rabbits were husbanded by a Warrener no less), so plenty of time for natural selection to do its work. However, this is supposition, and to be properly scientific we would want greater confidence in our hypothesis that any epigenetic influence is small. That, regrettably, would require quite complex trials involving geographically isolated test parks and cyclists armed with shotguns.
You’ll hardly need reminding that next year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, and the 150th anniversary of his best known work – On The Origin of Species. It’s already a big deal: special events, new book editions, talks, tee-shirts, diaries, calendars, and commemorative mugs – the lot. And rightly so – however we might nuance the term, there would be no Darwinism without Darwin. But as the celebrations bubble up to a crescendo of reverence on February 12th, I wonder if the world will spare a thought for Darwin’s own origins, and particularly his illustrious grandfather – Erasmus (1731-1802). He’ll certainly be struggling for attention, so consider this a pre-emptive strike on behalf of The Other Darwin Genius.
Charles (1809-1882)
We automatically associate ‘Darwin’ with the name ‘Charles’. A mention of Erasmus in conversation brings blank looks, even from devotees of the definitive Charles. Genius twice in the same family – impossible! And if the old fellow had some notoriety in his day, surely it must pale beside that of his grandson.Yet Erasmus is not to be compared to Charles in any competitive sense. Their skills, inclinations, personality, temperament, and achievements were very different. It was their shared inquisitiveness and intellectual energy that destined each to leave a lasting imprint on the world. We all know about Charles’s lasting imprint, but few are aware that Erasmus was:
Erasmus (1809-1882)
The greatest physician of his time
An original and popular poet
A respected scientist and inventor
A key player and catalyst in the industrial revolution
His life has been richly documented by physicist Desmond King-Hele, whose analysis reveals a breathtaking range of interests, involvements and achievements. Not associated with one single big theory or event, Erasmus confuses our conception of the traditional achiever. Charles by contrast is easy – well and truly Mr Evolution. So what makes Erasmus so appealing?
His lifelong profession was medicine. Widely recognised in England as the top doctor of his day, he famously declined to be King George III’s personal physician. (Had he accepted of course, George’s porphyria would have quickly cleared up, the King’s eye would have stayed on the political ball, and America would still be ours – yippee! Well, O.K. – maybe not; Erasmus’s sympathies actually tended towards the pro-revolutionary.) He chose rather to spread his benefaction widely, making house calls to ordinary folk in all weathers and treating the poor for free.
Erasmus’s medical knowledge is captured in the 1796 ZOONOMIA. At 5kg, the big and heavy first edition makes fascinating reading. Some of the 18th century cures sound worse than the diseases, but while Erasmus’s use of the blood-letting lancet for physical conditions may have been typical, his approach to mental disease was ahead of its time. Lunatics in his care could expect compassion instead of the more familiar beating.
Zoonomia Vol II was a catalogue of disease (Tim Jones private collection)
Charles inherited his knack for ruffling religious feathers from his grandfather, who in Zoonomia classified religion as a mental disease – a ‘Desease of Volition’. Here he dismisses it along with other fantasies in a discussion on Credulitas, or Credulity. To get a flavour of the language and its appearance, the reader is invited to struggle through this photocopy of the original text:
[text continues]………
In regard to religious matters, there is an intellectual cowardice instilled in the minds of the people from their infancy; which prevents their inquiry: credulity is made an indispensible virtue; to inquire or exert their reason in religious matters is denounced as sinful; and in the catholic church is punished with more severe penances than moral crimes…
For each desease, Darwin offers a cure. Headed ‘M.M.’ for Materia Medica, his wise council on credulity reads:
M.M. The method of cure is to increase our knowledge of the laws of nature, and our habit of comparing whatever ideas are presented to us with those known laws, and thus to counteract the fallacies or our senses, to emancipate ourselves from the false impressions which we have imbibed in our infancy, and to set the faculty of reason above that of imagination.
Rational thinking and appeal to scientific method shine through – not surprising given the very interesting people Erasmus was mixing with: James Watt and Matthew Boulton of steam engine fame, Josiah Wedgwood of pottery fame, the Scottish chemist James Kier, and the politically animated chemist and co-discoverer of oxygen Joseph Priestley.
Statue of Boulton, Watt, and Murdoch in Birmingham, UK (Photo: Tim Jones)
With Erasmus’s support, Wedgwood got England’s first canal built, while his friendship and technical exchanges with Watt and Boulton catalysed the steam age. Together known as the Lunar Men, (so called because they travelled to monthly meetings assisted by moonlight) this group drove the industrial revolution and gave us the roots of our technological world.
A pioneering scientist and engineer in his own right, Erasmus is unsung in many fields. He discovered ‘Charles Gas Law’ before Charles -who claimed it 24 years later, glimpsed partial pressures ahead of Dalton, and explained how clouds form. His musings appear almost casually in a letter to Boulton, where we first learn that his plans for weather forecasting will be enhanced by the accuracy of John Harrison’s new clock – that is Harrison of longitude fame (this single letter is astonishing in the icons it embraces), then:
Erasmus explained cloud formation
I am extremely impatient for this Play-Thing! [Harrison’s clock] as I intend to fortell every Shower by it, and make great medical discovery as far as relates to the specific Gravity of Air: and from the Quantity of Vapor. Thus the Specific Gravity of the Air, should be as the Absolute Gravity (shew’d by the Barometer) and as the Heat (shew’d by Boulton’s Thermometer). Now if it is not always found as these two (that is as one and inversely as the other) then the deviations at different Times must be as the Quantity of dissolved Vapour in the Air.
Elsewhere in the same letter, having playfully struck Boulton off as a “plodding man of Business” he proceeds to bribe him with wine on the condition he glass-blows one of the empties into a specific form required for his (Darwin’s) researches.
The first reference to the mechanism for cloud formation comes in a 1784 letter to Josiah Wedgwood; with what amounts to a description of the universal law of adiabatic expansion of gases, which he later published in a formal journal.
Evolution is also discussed in Zoonomia and The Temple of Nature, also by by Erasmus. His coat of arms comprised three scallop shells with the telling motto E conchis omnia – ‘everything from shells’, reflecting his belief that all life started from sea creatures. Unfortunately, the device was not subtle enough to evade the local clergy, leaving Erasmus force-put to paint it out and thereby keep the peace (it remained on his bookplate). Erasmus’s gift for marrying art with science matured in his narrative poem The Botanic Garden, which brought him literary fame and the respect of influential friends like the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge, both of whom record him as an important influence on their work.
Erasmus was clever but not boring. A true man of the Enlightenment, he took all his pleasures seriously. Shunning alcohol, he preferred to act on his conviction that sugar and cream were the healthiest of foods, consuming both in quantity. He had a semi-circular profile carved in his dining table to accommodate the girth of his indulgence. Always amorously inclined, his successful bid for the hand of the young socialite Elizabeth Pole, whilst in the disrepair of his fifties, is intriguing – not to say impressive, as are his liberal reproductive powers, evidenced by 14 children including two illegitimacies.
And so it goes on: from speaking machines to steam turbines, from educational reform to carriage design, from the moon’s origin to the formation of coal; in all these areas and many more, Erasmus made a valuable and original contribution to knowledge. For me though, it is the combination of The Other Darwin Genius’s bon-viveur attitude, innovatory energy, rationality, compassion, and his measured disrespect for authority, convention and the status quo, that makes him (and I know this is blasphemy) the more interesting Darwin. Spare him a thought on February 12th.
Other Links Erasmusdarwin.org – custodians of his memory and former home in Litchfield.
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