Beyond The Galapagos: What Was In ‘Darwin’s Backyard’

WUNC | By Frank Stasio,

Charlie Shelton

Published August 31, 2017 at 12:13 PM EDT

Cover of 'Darwin's Backyard' by James Costa.

There is no doubt that Charles Darwin’s trip to the Galapagos Islands in the 1830s changed his life’s work. It put him on the path to develop his game-changing theory of evolution. But Darwin’s observations were not isolated to one exploration. For years after his pivotal excursion, Darwin conducted unorthodox and innovative experiments to test his speculations, and he often did so in his own backyard.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with James Costa, professor of biology at Western Carolina University, about his book “Darwin’s Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory”.

In his forthcoming book, James Costa examines Darwin’s personal history and how his drive to observe the natural world and collaborate with others led to theories that changed the study of biology.

Host Frank Stasio talks with Costa, professor of biology at Western Carolina University, about his book “Darwin’s Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory” (W. W. Norton & Company/2017). Costa speaks at Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville on Wednesday, Sept. 6.