Darwin Days 2024
New York Fossils
Darwin Days 2024 explores the fossils of New York
February 8 - 10th
Darwin Day is an annual, international commemoration of the birthday and ideas of Charles Darwin, a British naturalist born February 12, 1809, and author of the seminal book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
The first organized Darwin Day events took place in 1995, and were organized by the Humanist Community of Palo Alto, California. The years since have seen Darwin Day celebrations around the world increasing annually on a steady scale.
In 2006, the Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth, in collaboration with Cornell University and Ithaca College, celebrated the first official Darwin Day in Ithaca, New York, with a five-day series of panel discussions, film screenings, speakers, and workshops, aimed at increasing awareness of Darwin’s theory and its relevance today, in the Ithaca community and beyond.
Join us this year from February 8- 10 on a journey from 400 million years ago to the present. We will explore the Late Mass extinction of the Devonian period in New York and the ancient marine fossils we can find right here in Central New York.
Most programs for this event this year are offered free of charge, but please consider contributing to our educational programs so that we can continue to offer resources and information to our community.
2024 Calendar of Events
Darwin Days Science in the Virtual Pub
The Late Devonian Mass Extinction: the view from New York
Thursday, February 8, 2024 @ 7:00 pm EST - Virtual
If we didn’t have fossils, we wouldn’t know much about extinction: fossils were key evidence in convincing scientists that species actually do go extinct and that many species go extinct at the same time during global catastrophes. As we approach the “Sixth Mass Extinction”, what else can fossils tell us? I’ll talk about lessons from the Late Devonian mass extinction in New York and northern Pennsylvania, with a focus on animals living in shallow marine habitats. Why did some species live and others die, and what happened to the survivors after the extinction?
Andrew Bush, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut
Darwin Devonian Family Day at Museum of the Earth
Saturday, February 10, 2024 @ 10:00 am to 1:00 pm EST
Museum of the Earth
Celebrate the birthday and works of Charles Darwin with fun activities for the whole family. Come to the Museum of the Earth for family-friendly activities about ancient marine fossils we can find right here in Central New York.
Schedule of Activities:
10:00 am - 5:00 pm: Fossil Identification: Bring your fossils from Upstate New York to be identified by a staff paleontologist.
11:00 am: Learn about the rocks and fossils of Upstate New York in a tour of the New York Rocks! temporary exhibit and Age of Fishes permanent exhibit
12:00 pm: Rocks and fossils of ancient seas over New York: Handle and ask questions about fossils from PRI's education collection.
Resources:
