On the 1st of July 1858 two papers were read at the meeting of the Linnean Society of London. Those papers were jointly titled "On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection", the authors were Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Neither of them was present, but the two contributions did indeed have a profound effect on the study of natural history, as was suggested by those introducing the reading.
We celebrated that significant Linnean Society meeting with two explorations of how far we have come in developing and understanding Darwin and Wallace’s ideas in the last 150 years. Following the talks, the annual Conversazione was held in the Society's rooms, to further that excitement that followed the original public exposition of Darwin and Wallace's ideas.
Speakers
Professor H. Allen Orr, University of Rochester, UK
Darwin, adaptation, and the origin of species
Professor Gareth Nelson, University of Melbourne, Australia
Wallace's line then and now
Additional Information
Programme