h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A really fascinating article. I really enjoyed it. However, could you spell out who this fellow Owen was - you only ever give his surname. Another minor quibble, is that you mention Darwin's 'opus'. I'm assuming you mean Origin of the Species. Once again, it might be best to spell that out. Nonetheless, I found this pretty interesting and a joy to read.

Own was, as far as I remember, the guy who discovered dinosaurs. Well his wife really, but you know how those things are.

I've expanded the Darwin point, but can anyone give me more details on Owen?

Fabulous ball control.

Not helpful?

I've done a little ferreting around on the web and, according to xrefer, Sir Richard Owen (1804-1892)was superintendent of natural history for 28 years and most famously known, as is pointed out in the article, as one of the most vocal opponents of the theory of natural selection.

Hope this helps.

That helps and is going in as a footnote.

Cheers

Chris - that was not helpful at all. Stand in the corner for 20 minutes.

Oh great - now I have a corner-shaped head...

Thanks all.

The chap whose wife was a discoverer was actually a fellow called Gideon Mantell. He became so obsessed with her find that eventually she left him, it allegedly took some time for him to notice.....

Mantell was the chap who put a horn on the nose of Iguanadon until Louis Dollo's find of a huge batch of complete Iguanadon Bernissartensis decided that the spike actually fitted the thumb.

Cheers,

Cestus