NEW YORK: For Randall Keynes, 57, the exhibition opening today at the American Museum of Natural History here is more than an academic endeavor. It's an effort to make the world better understand his great-great-grandfather Charles Darwin, especially at times like these when conflicting ideas of intelligent design seem to threaten the spirit of scientific enterprise.
The American Museum has mounted what is billed as the most ambitious exhibition ever on Darwin, putting on show Darwin memorabilia never seen before. The show titled “Darwin” will trace the naturalist's journey aboard the HMS Beagle taking the viewer past specimens that earmarked his long chain of discoveries. Keynes, a UK based author, will be a key feature of the show, reading out a page from Darwin's famous book 'On the Origin of Species'.
Among the many specimens that visitors will see, will be a range of beetles, butterflies, moths, flies, many fossils, an iguana, two Galapagos turtles, etc. There will also be his telescope, a page from his manuscript for 'On the Origin…', a rock hammer, his work table, a pistol and a copy of the Bible. A page from his jottings titled simply “I think” reveals the simplicity and brilliance of the man: it illustrates his concept of the evolutionary tree with a simple stick figure with its middle portion marked 1 and branches labeled A through D.
The book influenced people's thinking with its premise that all life forms evolve from ancestors of another kind through a process called natural selection. It is now regarded as the cornerstone of modern biology.
The exhibition goes beyond the period 1831-36 of the journey and also reveals a lot about the man Darwin. People will learn that he was a lackluster student who hated the learning-by-rote method taught at school. He attempted medical school but did no better.
Many of the mementos were discovered by Keynes while rummaging through his parents' chest of drawers. The collection includes a box that belonged to Annie, Darwin's eldest daughter who died at the age of 10 from tuberculosis. The contents of the box reveal the love and caring of a helpless parent who could do little to save his daughter.
The exhibition includes collections from the Museum of Science in Boston, the Field Museum in Chicago, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the Natural History Museum in London.
With entry charges of $16 for students, $12 for kids the trip down history lane this time will certainly be more than worth it.
