The Oxford University Museum of Natural History, sometimes known simply as the Oxford University Museum, is a museum displaying many of the University of Oxford's natural history specimens. It also contains a lecture theatre which is used by the University's Chemistry, Zoology and Mathematics departments, and provides access through to the Pitt Rivers Museum. A museum is typically a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now usually viewed as a number of distinct scientific disciplines. ... A lecture on linear algebra at the Helsinki University of Technology A lecture is a presentation on a particular subject given in order to teach people about that subject, for example by a university or college teacher. ... // Introduction Chemistry is a large field encompassing many subdisciplines that often overlap with significant portions of other sciences. ... Zoology (Greek zoon = animal and logos = word) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Mathematics Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mathematics Look up Mathematics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mathematics Inter. ... Pitt Rivers Museum interior The Pitt Rivers Museum is a museum displaying the archaeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford. ...

Oxford University Museum of Natural History

Oxford University Museum of Natural History. ... Oxford University Museum of Natural History. ...

History

The University's Honour School of Natural Science started in 1850, but the facilities for teaching were scattered around the city of Oxford in the various colleges. The University's collection of anatomical and natural history specimens were similarly spread around the city. 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... The University of Oxford comprises 39 Colleges and 7 religious Permanent Private Halls (PPHs), which are autonomous self-governing corporations within the university. ... Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the Encyclopédie. ... Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now usually viewed as a number of distinct scientific disciplines. ...

Regius Professor of Medicine, Sir Henry Acland instigated the construction of the building of the museum between 1855 and 1860, to bring together all the aspects of science around a central display area. In 1858, Acland gave a lecture on the museum, setting forth the reason for the building's construction. He viewed that the University had been one-sided in the forms of study it offered – chiefly theology, philosophy, the classics and history – and that the opportunity to obtain the "knowledge of the great material design of which the Supreme Master-Worker has made us a constituent part", i.e. the natural world, should be offered. Medicine on the Web Medical Alarm & Use Medical Marijuana NLM (National Library of Medicine, contains resources for patients and healthcare professionals) Virtual Hospital (digital health sciences library by the University of Iowa) Online Medical Information- medical news, links and resources. ... Henry Wentworth Acland (23 August 1815 - 16 October 1900) was a English physician and educator. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... // What is science? There are various understandings of the word science. According to empiricism, scientific theories are objective, empirically testable, and predictive — they predict empirical results that can be checked and possibly contradicted. ... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It also refers to the study of other religious topics. ... These five broad types of question are called analytical or logical, epistemological, ethical, metaphysical, and aesthetic respectively. ... A classical language is a language with a literary tradition that can be judged as classical. According to George L. Hart: [To] qualify as a classical tradition, a language must fit several criteria: it should be ancient, it should be an independent tradition that arose mostly on its own not... One of the most famous quotations about history and the value of studying history, by Spanish philosopher, George Santayana, reads: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. ...

Several departments moved within the building – Astronomy, Geometry, Experimental physics, Mineralogy, Chemistry, Geology, Zoology. Anatomy, Physiology and Medicine. As the departments grew in size over the years, they moved to new locations along South Parks Road, which remains the home of the University's science departments. Astrometry: the study of the position of objects in the sky and their changes of position. ... Geometry (Greek γεωμετρία; geo = earth, metria = measure) arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. ... Experimental physics is the part of physics that deals with experiments and observations pertaining to natural/physical phenomena, as opposed to theoretical physics. ... Mineralogy is an earth science that involves the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals. ... // Introduction Chemistry is a large field encompassing many subdisciplines that often overlap with significant portions of other sciences. ... Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason)) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history, and the processes that shape it. ... Zoology (Greek zoon = animal and logos = word) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the Encyclopédie. ... Physiology (in Greek physis = nature and logos = word) is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. ... Medicine on the Web Medical Alarm & Use Medical Marijuana NLM (National Library of Medicine, contains resources for patients and healthcare professionals) Virtual Hospital (digital health sciences library by the University of Iowa) Online Medical Information- medical news, links and resources. ...

The last department to leave the building was the Entomology department, which moved into the Zoology building in 1978. However, there is still a working entomology laboratory on the first floor of the museum building. Entomology is the scientific study of insects. ... Zoology (Greek zoon = animal and logos = word) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

In 1884, a new building to the east of the museum was constructed to house the ethnological collections of General Pitt Rivers – the Pitt Rivers Museum. 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ... Ethnology (greek ethnos: (non-greek, barbarian) people) is a genre of anthropological study, involving the systematic comparison of the folklore, beliefs and practices of different societies. ... Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers (14th April, 1827–1900) was an English army officer, ethnologist, and archaeologist. ... Pitt Rivers Museum interior The Pitt Rivers Museum is a museum displaying the archaeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford. ...

Interior of the Museum

The largest portion of the museum's collections consist of the natural history specimens from the Ashmolean Museum, including the specimens collected by the Tradescants, William Burchell and geologist William Buckland. The Christ Church Museum donated its osteological and physiological specimens, many of which were collected by Acland. Download high resolution version (500x667, 71 KB)Oxford University Museum of Natural History interior. ... Download high resolution version (500x667, 71 KB)Oxford University Museum of Natural History interior. ... The Ashmolean Museum (in full the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology) in Oxford, England is the worlds first university museum. ... Two John Tradescants, father and son, were among the earliest English botanists and plantsmen, travellers, collectors and all around polymaths. ... William John Burchell (1782 - 1863) was an English explorer and naturalist. ... William Buckland (12 March 1784 - 24 August 1856) was a prominent English geologist and palaeontologist who wrote the first full account of a fossil dinosaur, a proponent of Old Earth creationism and Flood geology who later became convinced by the glaciation theory of Louis Agassiz. ... Osteology is the scientific study of bones. ... Physiology (in Greek physis = nature and logos = word) is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. ... Henry Wentworth Acland (23 August 1815 - 16 October 1900) was a English physician and educator. ...

The building

The neo-Gothic building was designed by architect Benjamin Woodward, consisting of a large square court with a large glass roof, supported by cast iron pillars, which divide the court into three aisles. Cloistered arcades run around the ground and first floor of the building, with stone columns each made from a different British stone, selected by geologist John Phillips (the Keeper of the Museum). The ornamentation of the stonework and iron pillars incorporates natural forms such as leaves and branches, combining the Pre-Raphaelite style with the scientific role of the building. Neo-gothic architecture is an American branch of the Gothic revival style that was imported from England in the 1830s. ... For eyeglasses, see glasses. ... Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but can mean any of a group of iron-based alloys containing more than 2% carbon (alloys with less carbon are carbon steel by definition). ... Our earth is composed of three main types of rock, each having been formed in its own special way. ... For other people with this name, see John Phillips John Phillips (December 25, 1800 – April 24, 1874) was an English geologist. ... The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets and critics, founded in 1848 by John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt. ... // What is science? There are various understandings of the word science. According to empiricism, scientific theories are objective, empirically testable, and predictive — they predict empirical results that can be checked and possibly contradicted. ...

Statues of eminent men of science stand around the ground floor of the court — from Aristotle and Bacon through to Darwin and Linnaeus. Although the University paid for the construction of the building, the ornamentation was funded by public subscription — and much of it remains incomplete. A scientist is a person who is an expert in at least one area of science and who uses the scientific method to research that area. ... Aristotle, marble copy of bronze by Lysippos. ... Statue of Roger Bacon in the Oxford University Museum Roger Bacon (c. ... In his lifetime Charles Darwin gained international fame as a controversial and influential scientist. ... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as Carl von Linné â–¶(?), and in English usually under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of taxonomy. ...

Significant events

The 1860 evolution debate

A significant debate in the history of evolutionary biology took place in the museum in 1860 at a meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Representatives of the Church and science debated the subject of evolution, and the event is often viewed as symbolising the defeat of theological views of creation. However, there are few eye-witness accounts of the debate, and most accounts of the debate were written by scientists. Evolutionary biology is a subfield of biology concerned with the origin and descent of species, as well as their change over time, i. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... The British Association or the British Association for the Advancement of Science or the BA is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating intercourse between scientific workers. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ... // What is science? There are various understandings of the word science. According to empiricism, scientific theories are objective, empirically testable, and predictive — they predict empirical results that can be checked and possibly contradicted. ... A phylogenetic tree of all living things, based on rRNA gene data, showing the separation of the three domains, bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, as described initially by Carl Woese. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It also refers to the study of other religious topics. ... Creation is a doctrinal position in many religions which maintains that one or a group of gods or deities is responsible for creating the universe. ...

Caricature of Thomas Huxley from Vanity Fair magazine

Thomas Huxley and Samuel Wilberforce, the Bishop of Oxford, are generally cast as the main protagonists in the debate. Huxley was a keen scientist and a staunch supporter of Darwin's theories. Wilberforce had supported the construction of the museum as the centre for the science departments, for the study of the wonders of God's creations. Download high resolution version (312x692, 32 KB)Thomas Huxley caricature from Vanity Fair magazine, c. ... Download high resolution version (312x692, 32 KB)Thomas Huxley caricature from Vanity Fair magazine, c. ... Caricature of Alan Greenspan by Jan Op De Beeck. ... Thomas Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley F.R.S. (May 4, 1825 - June 29, 1895) was a British biologist, known as Darwins Bulldog for his defence of Charles Darwins theory of evolution. ... Vanity Fair is a glossy American glamour magazine monthly that offers a mixture of articles on high-brow culture, jet-set and entertainment-business personalities, politics, and current affairs. ... Thomas Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley F.R.S. (May 4, 1825 - June 29, 1895) was a British biologist, known as Darwins Bulldog for his defence of Charles Darwins theory of evolution. ... A photo of Samuel Wilberforce by Lewis Carroll Samuel Wilberforce (September 7, 1805 - July 19, 1873), English bishop, third son of William Wilberforce, was born at Clapham Common, London. ... In his lifetime Charles Darwin gained international fame as a controversial and influential scientist. ... // What is science? There are various understandings of the word science. According to empiricism, scientific theories are objective, empirically testable, and predictive — they predict empirical results that can be checked and possibly contradicted. ... God is the term used to denote the Supreme Being believed by monotheistic religions to exist and to be the creator and ruler of the Universe. ... Creation is a doctrinal position in many religions which maintains that one or a group of gods or deities is responsible for creating the universe. ...

On the Wednesday of the meeting, June 27, 1860, botanist Professor Daubeny presented a paper on plant sexuality, which made reference to Darwin's theory of natural selection. Richard Owen, a zoologist who believed that evolution was governed by divine influence, criticised the theory pointing out that the brain of the gorilla was more different from that of man than that of other primates. Huxley stated that he would respond to this comment in print, and declined to continue the debate. However, rumours began to spread that the Bishop of Oxford would be attending the conference on the following Saturday. June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sex positions Inter. ... Natural selection is the process by which variants displaying favorable or deleterious traits end up producing more or fewer progeny relative to other individuals of the same population. ... Sir Richard Owen and Dinornis bird skeleton Sir Richard Owen (July 20, 1804 - December 18, 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist. ... A phylogenetic tree of all living things, based on rRNA gene data, showing the separation of the three domains, bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, as described initially by Carl Woese. ... The concept of the divine or of The Divine, meaning matters relating to a god, forms an important ingredient in many religious faiths (but compare Buddhism, for example, or Scientology). ... Comparative brain sizes In the anatomy of animals, the brain, or encephalon (Greek for in the head), is the higher, supervisory center of the nervous system. ... Type species Troglodytes gorilla Savage, 1847 Species Gorilla gorilla Gorilla beringei A male silverback gorilla The gorilla, the largest of the primates, is a ground-dwelling herbivore that inhabits the forests of central Africa. ... Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ... Families 13, See classification A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans. ...

Initially, Huxley was planning to avoid the Bishop's speech. However, evolutionist Robert Chambers convinced him to stay. For The Preppie murderer, see Robert Chambers. ...

The conventional account of the debate runs much as follows:

Wilberforce's speech on June 30, 1860, was good-humoured and witty, but was an unfair attack on Darwinism, ending in the now infamous question to Huxley of whether "it was through his grandfather or grandmother that he claimed descent from a monkey." Some commentators suggested that this question was written by Owen, and others suggested that the Bishop was taught by Owen.

Huxley is purported to have turned to his neighbour, chemist Professor Brodie and exclaiming, "The Lord has delivered him into mine hands." When Huxley spoke, he responded that he had heard nothing from Wilberforce to prejudice Darwin's arguments, which still provided the best explanation of the origin of species yet advanced. He ended with the equally infamous response to Wilberforce's question, that he had "no need to be ashamed of having an ape for his grandfather, but that he would be ashamed of having for an ancestor a man of restless and versatile interest who distracts the attention of his hearers from the real point at issue by eloquent digression and skilled appeals to religious prejudice."

However, it seems unlikely that the debate was as spectacular as traditionally suggested – contemporary accounts by journalists do not make mention of such notable quotes. Additionally, contemporary accounts suggest that it was not Huxley, but Sir Joseph Hooker who most vocally defended Darwinism at the meeting. June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining, and the last day of June. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Charles Darwin Darwinism is a term for the underlying theory in the ideas of Charles Darwin, particularly concerning evolution and natural selection. ... // Introduction Chemistry is a large field encompassing many subdisciplines that often overlap with significant portions of other sciences. ... A journalist is a person who practices journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues and people. ... Joseph Dalton Hooker Dr. Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, GCSI , OM , FRS , MD (June 30, 1817 – December 10, 1911) was an English botanist and traveller. ... Charles Darwin Darwinism is a term for the underlying theory in the ideas of Charles Darwin, particularly concerning evolution and natural selection. ...

While all the accounts of the event suggest that the supporters of Darwinism were the most persuasive, it seems likely that the exact nature of the debate was made more sensational to encourage further support for Darwin's theories.

The 1894 demonstration of wireless telegraphy

The first public demonstration of wireless telegraphy took place in the lecture theatre of the museum on August 14, 1894, carried out by Professor Oliver Lodge. A radio signal was sent from the neighbouring Clarendon laboratory building, and received by apparatus in the lecture theatre. Wireless telegraphy is the practice of remote writing (see telegraphy) without the wires normally involved in an electrical telegraph. ... August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Vanity Fair cartoon. ... Biochemistry laboratory at the University of Cologne. ...

Charles Dodgson and the Dodo

Today, the head and foot of a Dodo displayed at the museum are the most complete remains of a single dodo anywhere in the world. Many museums have complete Dodo skeletons, but these are composed of the bones of several individuals. The museum also displays a 1651 painting of a Dodo by Flemish artist, Jan Savery. Binomial name Raphus cucullatus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Mauritius Dodo (Raphus cucullatus, called Didus ineptus by Linnaeus), more commonly just Dodo, was a metre-high flightless bird of the island of Mauritius. ... In biology, the skeleton or skeletal system is the biological system providing support in living organisms. ... // Events January 1 - Charles II crowned King of Scotland in Scone. ... This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ...

Charles Dodgson, better known by his pen-name Lewis Carroll, was a regular visitor to the museum, and Savery's painting is likely to have influenced the character of the Dodo in Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Photograph of Lewis Carroll taken by himself, with assistance Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (January 27, 1832 – January 14, 1898), better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was a British author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer. ... The Dodo is a fictional character appearing in Chapters 2 and 3 of the book Alices Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). ... John Tenniels illustration for A Mad Tea-Party, 1865 Illustration by Arthur Rackham Alices Adventures in Wonderland is a work of childrens literature by the British mathematician and author Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. ...

The Museum Today

The museum has free entrance, is open daily from 12 to 5, and attracts over 300 000 visitors a year, including over 15 000 school children on organised visits.

Adminstratively the museum is divided into four sections: Geology (covering the Palaeontological collections), Mineralogy (the mineral and rock collections), Zoology and Entomology. Each has a part time Curator (who is also a university lecturer) and a full-time Assistant Curator. The museum is led by a Director, and there are education, IT, library, conservation and technical staff.

Since 1997 the museum has benefitted from external funding, from Government and private sources, and undertaken a renewal of its displays. As well as central exhibits featuring the dodo and dinosaurs, there are sets of displays with contemporary designs but within restored Victorian cabinets, on a variety of themes: Evolution, Primates, the History of Life, Vertebrates, Invertebrates and Rocks & Minerals. There are also a number of popular touchable items, which include a stuffed leopard and other taxidermy, a meteorite and large fossils and minerals. Visitors can also enjoy being close to large dinosaur reconstructions, and a procession of mammal skeletons.

External links

• Oxford University Museum website
• American Scientist account of the 1860 debate