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Foreword from the Editor‐in‐Chief 1

2009; Wiley; Volume: 96; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3732/ajb.0800412

1537-2197

Judith A. Jernstedt,

Plant and animal studies

This first issue of volume 96 of the American Journal of Botany launches our year-long observance of several important scientific events. This year, 2009, encompasses the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, a remarkable scientist who considered himself first and foremost a botanist. The year 2009 is also the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, Darwin's seminal explication of his observations and ideas relating to evolution and his proposed mechanism by which evolution occurs. Following publication of On the Origin of Species, Darwin published seven books on his botanical research, including topics in plant physiology, plant breeding and domestication, pollination biology, morphology, and ecology—a major portion of the disciplinary breadth that AJB encompasses. To commemorate the life and botanical contributions of Darwin, this first 2009 issue of AJB is devoted to one of the number of botanical issues about which Darwin thought and wrote, the rapid appearance and diversification of the angiosperms, his so-called "abominable mystery." Invited Special Editors Ruth A. Stockey, Sean W. Graham, and Peter R. Crane have assembled a group of articles that review thinking and research on this subject from approaches as diverse as the history of science, anatomy, morphology, paleobotany, pollination biology, molecular systematics, genetics, and ecology. Authors of these papers variously address traditional or historical understanding of angiosperm origin, spread, and diversification, current thinking on these topics, and unresolved issues to stimulate future research. Subsequent issues of this year's AJB, volume 96, will include invited special papers addressing the botanical topics of Darwin's books, The Power of Movement in Plants, The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species, The Effects of Cross- and Self-Fertilization in the Vegetable Kingdom, The Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants, Insectivorous Plants, The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, and Fertilization of Orchids by Insects. The authors of the AJB papers will use these books as starting points for their considerations of Darwin's knowledge and of our current understanding of these subjects. This series of articles will illustrate and emphasize the breadth of the contributions that Charles Darwin made to plant biology research and that even now, contemporary research is built upon his careful and insightful experiments and observations. Last, 2009 is being celebrated in the United States as the "Year of Science." This year-long event is sponsored by the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS; http://www.copusproject.org/) and the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). The objective is to engage the public in science and improve public understanding of how science works, why science matters, and who scientists are. In addition to the Darwin anniversaries noted, other momentous events in science and science policy are being commemorated and celebrated this year, including: The 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's contributions to science include the founding of the National Academy of Sciences, as well as creating the Land Grant system of agricultural colleges through signing the Morrill Act. This novel system has been integral to the development of applied biological sciences and technology in the U.S. The 400th anniversary of the publication of Johannes Kepler's first two Laws of Planetary Motion. The 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Burgess Shale by the paleontologist Charles D. Walcott. The 400th anniversary of Galileo's first use of a telescope to study the skies. The 100th anniversary of the establishment of the U. S. Forest Service Experimental Forests and Ranges, the largest system of dedicated experimental sites in the United States. The 100th anniversary of the word "gene," coined by the Danish botanist and geneticist Wilhelm L. Johanssen, to describe the "particle" of inheritance transmitted from parent to offspring. In recognition of the Year of Science, an upcoming issue of AJB will also feature several invited special papers from the BOTANY 2008 symposium, "Understanding the Crisis in Science Literacy." These papers will address the importance and challenges of communication by scientists with the nonscience public, how science really works and what people should know about plants, and what the Botanical Society of America and sister societies are doing to promote scientific knowledge in general and botanical knowledge in particular. The hope is that we will all be inspired to expand our own involvement in scientific outreach this year and beyond. Wedgwood Portrait Medallion of Charles Darwin (1809-1882), from the collection of Adele I. Barnett, President, The Wedgwood Society of Washington, D.C., Inc. This medallion, on solid blue Jasper ground with white relief, was created circa 1982 to commemorate the centenary of Darwin's death. The first portrait medallion of Darwin was modeled around 1880. Darwin has numerous connections with the renowned Wedgwood family. Darwin was the grandson of famed English potter Josiah Wedgwood I, as well as the grandson of Wedgwood's friend and colleague Dr. Erasmus Darwin. Wedgwood's daughter Susannah married Erasmus' son Robert, who became the parents of Charles. Charles later married his cousin, Emma Wedgwood. Photograph by A. I. Barnett.