200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth

Today marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth, 12 February 1809, and 150 years since the publication of his work On the Origin of the Species.

‘Darwin Day‘ has been described as a global celebration of science and reason, with 653 events scheduled in 43 countries around the world.

Also, as a celebration, some of the letters Darwin wrote and received on his birthday have been collated by the Darwin Correspondence project.

And there is a major conference starting today here in New Zealand, BioEd 2009, to mark the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin.

Here are some of the news stories from this week in New Zealand.

The New Zealand Herald – 28 January – Darwin evolves into anti-slavery advocate

The New Zealand Herald – 31 January – Origins of a man

The New Zealand Herald – 8 February – Creative differences

Dominion Post – 9 February 2009 – A thumbs down from Darwin