•  2
    In 1835, as a young naturalist on board the Beagle expedition exploring the delights of South American flora and fauna, Charles Darwin encountered a tiny new barnacle off the coast of Chile that he found most curious. Unlike all the usual shelled species found attached to rocks or even ship hulls, this one lived “naked,” sheltered in the crevices of seashells. “Mr Arthrobalanus,” as he dubbed the unusual little creature, continued to intrigue Darwin far beyond the initial discovery. Little did h…Read more
  •  1
  •  66
    The J.H.B. Bookshelf
    with Paul Lawrence Farber, Hannah Landecker, Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis, Eileen Crist, Chris Young, and Sara F. Tjossem
    Journal of the History of Biology 31 (3): 447-461. 1998.
  •  27
    In 1853, the young Thomas Henry Huxley published a long review of German cell theory in which he roundly criticized the basic tenets of the Schleiden-Schwann model of the cell. Although historians of cytology have dismissed Huxley's criticism as based on an erroneous interpretation of cell physiology, the review is better understood as a contribution to embryology. "The Cell-theory" presents Huxley's "epigenetic" interpretation of histological organization emerging from changes in the protoplasm…Read more
  •  12
    In the early years of Mendelism, 1900-1910, William Bateson established a productive research group consisting of women and men studying biology at Cambridge. The empirical evidence they provided through investigating the patterns of hereditary in many different species helped confirm the validity of the Mendelian laws of heredity. What has not previously been well recognized is that owing to the lack of sufficient institutional support, the group primarily relied on domestic resources to carry …Read more
  •  31
    In the early years of Mendelism, 1900-1910, William Bateson established a productive research group consisting of women and men studying biology at Cambridge. The empirical evidence they provided through investigating the patterns of hereditary in many different species helped confirm the validity of the Mendelian laws of heredity. What has not previously been well recognized is that owing to the lack of sufficient institutional support, the group primarily relied on domestic resources to carry …Read more
  •  4
    The 1909 Darwin Celebration
    Isis 97 (3): 447-484. 2006.
    In June 1909, scientists and dignitaries from 167 different countries gathered in Cambridge to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Origin of Species. The event was one of the most magnificent commemorations in the annals of science. Delegates gathered within the cloisters of Cambridge University not only to honor the “hero” of evolution but also to reassess the underpinnings of Darwinism at a critical juncture. With the…Read more
  •  3
    The 1909 Darwin Celebration
    Isis 97 (3): 447-484. 2006.
  •  23
    With historical hindsight, it can be little questioned that the view of protozoa as unicellular organisms was important for the development of the discipline of protozoology. In the early years of this century, the assumption of unicellularity provided a sound justification for the study of protists: it linked them to the metazoa and supported the claim that the study of these “simple” unicellular organisms could shed light on the organization of the metazoan cell. This prospect was significant,…Read more
  •  31
    Muriel Wheldale Onslow and Early Biochemical Genetics
    Journal of the History of Biology 40 (3). 2007.
    Muriel Wheldale, a distinguished graduate of Newnham College, Cambridge, was a member of William Bateson's school of genetics at Cambridge University from 1903. Her investigation of flower color inheritance in snapdragons (Antirrhinum), a topic of particular interest to botanists, contributed to establishing Mendelism as a powerful new tool in studying heredity. Her understanding of the genetics of pigment formation led her to do cutting-edge work in biochemistry, culminating in the publication …Read more
  • Book Review (review)
    Journal of the History of Biology 42 (3): 613-616. 2009.
  • Book Review (review)
    Journal of the History of Biology 44 (2): 357-360. 2011.
  •  6
    Special Issue: Heredity and Evolution in an Ibero-American Context
    with Ana Barahona
    Perspectives on Science 28 (2): 119-126. 2020.
    The history of science within the Ibero-American context has not received significant attention from historians of science. In the case of historical studies of science in Spain and Latin America, research has primarily been carried out under the umbrella of “centers and peripheries,” indicating that despite their historiographical and epistemological importance, narratives on science within certain national contexts have analytical limitations. Recent research has indicated a need to reconstruc…Read more
  • Darwinian Heresies (review)
    Journal of the History of Biology 38 (3): 631-633. 2005.
  •  10
    Women as Mendelians and Geneticists
    Science & Education 24 (1-2): 125-150. 2015.
  •  8
    Reading and Writing the History of Biology at JHB
    with Karen Rader
    Journal of the History of Biology 55 (4): 613-614. 2022.
  •  4
    2023 Everett Mendelsohn Prize
    with Karen Rader
    Journal of the History of Biology 56 (2): 211-213. 2023.
  •  2
    JHB’s Darwin Collection
    with Karen Rader
    Journal of the History of Biology 55 (2): 379-380. 2022.