El Corte Inglés Málaga will host the lecture "La aventura científica de Alfred Russel Wallace" on Tuesday, October 20, at 7:30 p.m. The lecture will be delivered by Dr Ramón Muñoz-Chápuli, Professor of Animal Biology at the University of Málaga (UMA). It is part of the 2nd Scientific Expeditions Lecture Series and will be introduced by Dr Enrique Viguera Mínguez, coordinator of the series.

The name of British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) is often associated with that of Charles Darwin, as both developed the theory of natural selection as a mechanism to explain the origin of new species. On July 1, 1858, their papers were presented simultaneously at a meeting of the Linnean Society of London, although Wallace was not aware of this beforehand. The subsequent publication of "El origen de las especies" in 1859 established Darwin as the recognised author of evolutionary theory, overshadowing Wallace’s contribution.

However, Wallace’s scientific career extended far beyond this coincidence. Over 14 years, he undertook two major expeditions, one to the Amazon and another to the Malay Archipelago, under extraordinarily difficult conditions and without institutional support. During this time, he collected an enormous amount of biological material, leading to the description of more than a thousand new species.

Considered one of the great field naturalists of the 19th century, Wallace defined the world’s biogeographical regions and discovered what is known as the Wallace Line. His legacy includes 22 books and more than 500 articles, as well as significant contributions to fields such as glaciology, anthropology, ethnography, epidemiology and astrobiology. He also took an active part in the social debates of his time and advocated initiatives related to land reform.

His extraordinary achievements led Sir David Attenborough to declare: "No hay personaje más admirable en la historia de la ciencia". This lecture offers an opportunity to discover the life and contributions of a scientist whose work was fundamental to our understanding of evolution and the diversity of life on Earth.