Darwin Days 2026
Celebrating Charles Darwin
Darwin Days 2026 explores the marvelous world of mollusks, evolution education, and more!
February 10th - 14th
Darwin Day is an annual, international commemoration of the birthday and ideas of Charles Darwin, a British naturalist born February 12, 1809, and author of the seminal book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
The first organized Darwin Day events took place in 1995, and were organized by the Humanist Community of Palo Alto, California. The years since have seen Darwin Day celebrations around the world increasing annually at a steady rate.
In 2006, the Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth, in collaboration with Cornell University and Ithaca College, celebrated the first official Darwin Days in Ithaca, New York, with a five-day series of panel discussions, film screenings, speakers, and workshops, aimed at increasing awareness of Darwin’s theory and its relevance today, in the Ithaca community and beyond.
Join us this year from February 10- 14 to celebrate the work of Charles Darwin and the study of evolution. In 2026, Darwin Days dives into the remarkable story of mollusk evolution, inspired by PRI’s special exhibition at the Museum of the Earth, Marvellous Mollusks: The Secret World of Shells.
From film and conversation to hands-on family fun, join us as we explore how these extraordinary animals have adapted, diversified, and thrived for hundreds of millions of years.
Learn more about Charles Darwin the malacologist in this article by Aydin Örstan and Robert T. Dillon, Jr.
This year we celebrate 20 years of Darwin Days in Ithaca! Read about the history of Ithaca Darwin Days in our newest blog post, Ithaca Darwin Days at 20.
2026 Calendar of Events
Tuesday, February 10 | 6 pm
Inherit the Wind — Screening at Cinemapolis
Special screening of Inherit the Wind in partnership with Cinemapolis.. Schoolteacher Bertram Cates is arrested for teaching his students Darwin’s theory of evolution. The case receives national attention and one of the newspaper reporters, E.K. Hornbeck, arranges to bring in renowned defense attorney and atheist Henry Drummond to defend Cates. The prosecutor, Matthew Brady is a former presidential candidate, famous evangelist, and old adversary of Drummond.
Wednesday, February 11 | 4:30pm - 6:30 pm
Business After Hours with Tompkins Chamber — Museum of the Earth
Celebrate Darwin and the Museum of the Earth at the Tompkins Chamber Business After Hours. We’re excited to open our doors and host Business After Hours at the Museum of the Earth! Join us for an evening of networking, refreshments, and exploration, whether you’re admiring a mastodon or chatting with fellow community members, we hope you will join us to celebrate Darwin, and our recent fundraising success.
Thursday, February 12 | 7:00 pm
Science in the Virtual Pub— Online
Invertebrate Pirates: How do mollusks steal from their prey?
Jessica Goodheart, Assistant Curator, Mollusca; Assistant Professor, Richard Gilder Graduate School; The American Museum of Natural History
Mollusks are an incredibly diverse phylum of animals that have evolved many unique abilities, including the ability to “borrow” defenses and metabolic functions from their diet and environment. Like real-life pirates, some soft-bodied mollusks like nudibranchs compensate for their lost protective shells by hijacking venomous stingers and potent compounds, turning their meals into powerful tools for survival. In this talk, Dr. Goodheart will showcase which of these amazing creatures are able to steal from their prey and discuss the research in her lab that centers around soft bodied sea slugs that steal stinging organelles from their cnidarian prey (including anemones, jellyfish, etc).
Saturday, February 14 | 10:00 am - 1pm
Darwin Family Day - Museum of the Earth
This event will include family activities and feature a talk from snail biologist Rebecca Rundell. All activities are include with regular Museum admission.
Schedule of Activities:
10am - 1pm - Activities for all ages, including opportunities to handle modern and fossil mollusk shells and do mollusk-themed crafts
10am-5pm - Fossil ID Day - Did you find a rock in your backyard? Do you think it might be a fossil? Museum of the Earth is here to help! Dr. Maureen Bickley will be working in the Prep Lab on Saturdays and is happy to assist you.
12pm - Rebecca Rundell Talk “Pretty and weird shells in action: Wild molluscs and how they got that way”
Rebecca Rundell, Associate Professor of Environmental Biology and President of American Malacological Society. Rebecca studies the evolution and ecology of snails both locally and on distant Pacific islands. Her talk will focus on mollusk shells and how their shells are used in real life and habitats.
