Darwin's backyard : how small experiments led to a big theory /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

James T. Costa takes readers on a journey from Darwin's childhood through his voyage on the HMS Beagle where his ideas on evolution began. We then follow Darwin to Down House, his bustling home of forty years, where he kept porcupine quills at his desk to dissect barnacles, maintained a flock of sixteen pigeon breeds in the dovecote, and cultivated climbing plants in the study, and to Bournemouth, where on one memorable family vacation he fed carnivorous plants in the soup dishes.

Using his garden and greenhouse, the surrounding meadows and woodlands, and even taking over the cellar, study, and hallways of his home-turned-field-station, Darwin tested ideas of his landmark theory of evolution with an astonishing array of hands-on experiments that could be done on the fly, without specialized equipment.

He engaged naturalists, friends, neighbors, family servants, and even his children, nieces, nephews, and cousins as assistants in these experiments, which involved everything from chasing bees and tempting fish to eat seeds to serenading earthworms. From the experiments' results, he plumbed the laws of nature and evidence for the revolutionary arguments of On the Origin of Species and his other watershed works.

Beyond Darwin at work, we accompany him against the backdrop of his enduring marriage, chronic illness, grief at the loss of three children, and joy in scientific revelation. This unique glimpse of Darwin's life introduces us to an enthusiastic correspondent, crowd-sourcer, family man, and, most of all, an incorrigible observer and experimenter.

Includes directions for eighteen hands-on experiments, for home, school, yard, or garden.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. xi)
• 1 Origins of an Experimentiser (p. 1)
• Experimentising: Going to Seed (p. 35)
• 2 Barnacles to Barbs (p. 40)
• Experimentising: Doing Your Barnacles (p. 78)
• 3 Untangling the Bank (p. 83)
• Experimentising: A Taste for Botany (p. 113)
• 4 Buzzing Places (p. 118)
• Experimentising: Bees' Cells and Bubbles (p. 144)
• 5 A Grand Game of Chess (p. 149)
• Experimentising: Getting Around (p. 173)
• 6 The Sex Lives of Plants (p. 182)
• Experimentising: Darwinian Encounters of the Floral Kind (p. 220)
• 7 It Bears on Design (p. 227)
• Experimentising: Orchidelirium (p. 258)
• 8 Plants with Volition (p. 262)
• Experimentising: Feed Me, Seymour! (p. 288)
• 9 Crafty and Sagacious Climbers (p. 295)
• Experimentising: Seek and Ye Shall Find (p. 326)
• 10 Earthworm Serenade (p. 336)
• Experimentising: Get Thee to a Wormery (p. 370)
• Acknowledgments (p. 375)
• Notes (p. 379)
• Further Reading and Resources (p. 399)
• Bibliography (p. 403)
• Index (p. 419)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Most readers will be surprised to learn of the incredible amount of field research, observation, and experimentation that Charles Darwin did in the many years after his famous voyage. Costa (biology, Western Carolina Univ.; Wallace, Darwin, and the Origin of Species) argues that those experiments are not only foundational but also educational: they explain evolution better than any classroom lecture. To that end, each chapter focuses on a different obsession of Darwin's, from orchids to seed migration, and is followed by an experiment that demonstrates a principle of evolution. These examples are of the quick and simple variety, and a well-equipped high school science class could perform them easily. Costa's secondary goal is to place Darwin in the context of his family and friends, many of whom he deputized to help with his observations; in this, the author is less successful. Although there are frequent mentions of Darwin's children, only rarely do their own voices or inclinations shine through. VERDICT For students or teachers of biology or for readers looking for another side of Darwin.-Cate Hirschbiel, Iwasaki Lib., Emerson Coll., Boston © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Charles Darwin is best known as a great theorizer of ideas on the origin of species, human evolution, and a wealth of other topics that have stood the test of time, but Costa (Wallace, Darwin, and the Origin of Species), professor of biology at Western Carolina University, demonstrates that he was an equally remarkable experimentalist. Costa combs through Darwin's notebooks and letters as well as biographies of him to present an impressive array of experiments that Darwin conducted (each chapter concludes with experiment instructions for readers). According to Costa, whether Darwin was working to elucidate the phylogeny and reproductive biology of barnacles, the construction of beehives, the nature of plant pollination, or the biology of earthworms, his "mind was always churning, turning out remarkable insights from the grist of simple observations." In every case, Darwin was collecting data to support his broad evolutionary ideas and to "solidify [his] evolutionary vision of a truly universal Tree of Life." Costa also uses Darwin's experimental work to make a broader point about the methodology of science and the importance of data relative to opinion. Costa nicely explains what Darwin discovered, discussing those rare cases where he got something wrong and using the findings of modern science to extend Darwin's conclusions. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

CHOICE Review

This engaging biography focuses not on Darwin's most iconic accomplishments--his voyage on the Beagle or publication of On the Origin of Species, for example--but on the many lesser-known experiments he conducted at home, all in pursuit of uncovering the mysteries of the natural world. Small as they were, these were not the frivolous hobby of a country gentleman but real attempts to test hypotheses. Darwin was a first-rate investigator who carefully designed his experiments, conducting them in the gardens of his country estate and surrounding woods and meadows. Costa (Western Carolina Univ.) thoughtfully examines why and how Darwin developed these studies; he often involved fellow naturalists, friends, family servants, and especially his children, nieces, and nephews to help him carry out his research. Darwin's small experiments were eclectic, from growing barnacles and studying their differing morphologies to observing the "buzzing place" of bees to developing a weed garden for testing the hardiness of various seedlings. As an added feature, Costa encourages readers to follow in Darwin's footsteps and create their own experiments, supplying step-by-step directions after each chapter. This book will appeal to naturalists and historians of biology as well as to general readers. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Joel S. Schwartz, emeritus, CUNY College of Staten Island, Professor emeritus

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* So much more than a biography, this engaging account of Charles Darwin and his lifelong experimentising combines well-documented research, replicable science experiments, and charming anecdotes to illustrate how, despite ongoing personal illness and family drama, Darwin continuously observed, documented, and shared his groundbreaking scientific investigations. He enlisted the assistance of his wife, Emma, their seven surviving children, various governesses, nurses, maids, butlers, extended family, friends, colleagues, and an array of revered contemporary naturalists to help prove multiple hypotheses (or not, including some of his own self-acknowledged fools' experiments, such as suggesting fish create chalk). Witty and occasionally irreverent chapters consider his work with orchids, barnacles, vines, bees, the sex life of plants, frogs, and his beloved earthworms, and they document his simultaneous, copious correspondence; publications; defenses; and endless revisions. Each chapter concludes with step-by-step directions for backyard experiments that replicate his original efforts. Readers are warned that these are not intended for children; many require sophisticated equipment and materials plus meticulous attention to detail and documentation. Devoted scientists, neighborhood naturalists, and Darwin devotees will all find inspiration within these pages, whether from his carefully documented scientific methods, cheerful perseverance, or personal insights pulled from family letters. This is accessible and fun stuff from a popular author, so expect high demand.--McBroom, Kathleen Copyright 2017 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

An instructive and entertaining look at Darwin's "experimentising" and how it can be readily duplicated using mostly simple household tools.Costa (Biology/Western Carolina Univ.; Wallace, Darwin, and the Origin of Species, 2014, etc.), the executive director of the Highlands Biological Station, presents not just a how-to, but also a profile of Darwin in his time and place as he connected with other scientists and relied on them and on friends and family for assistance in his fieldwork. Darwin's enormous curiosity about how nature works and how adaptations arise from natural selection led him to constantly examine his surroundings with a careful eye. Costa shows him investigating the anatomy of barnacles, honeycombs of bees, dispersion of seeds, reproduction techniques of orchids, behavior of carnivorous plants, twisting of vines, and earth-moving capacity of worms. Occasionally, Darwin called on other naturalists for help in gathering specimens, and he relied on the labor of his own children, who apparently were enthusiastic assistants. In each chapter, Costa describes a specific area of Darwin's work and includes a materials list and a step-by-step procedure that demonstrates how to set up a related experiment, what to look for, and how to record one's observationsin other words, how to think like a scientist. What makes this more than a textbook is the full portrait of Darwin that emerges. We see him as an inquisitive youngster; a beetle-collecting college student; a hardworking naturalist who endured seasickness and other obstacles during his years on the Beagle; a husband and family man, enduring the illnesses and deaths of three of his children; and always as a man consumed with curiosity about the natural world and finding many of the answers in his own backyard. While casual readers may not be tempted to perform the experiments, the insights Costa provides into Darwin's thinking and his revelations about the great man's working life make this a worthwhile read. A perfect resource for biology teachers. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

James T. Costa is a professor of biology at Western Carolina University, executive director of Highlands Biological Station, and a trustee of the Charles Darwin Trust. He lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.