Darwin exhibition podcasts: first episode now online

Watch the first episode: Professor Jim Secord discusses the 19th century's fascination with images of prehistoric Earth, and Darwin's early passion for geology.  

The Fitzwilliam Museum is launching a unique series of free podcasts offering an in-depth look at Charles Darwin’s vast impact on both science and art - to accompany a landmark exhibition opening at the Museum in two weeks time.

Endless Forms: Charles Darwin, Natural Science and the Visual Arts - which opens at the Museum on 16 June 2009 - explores the fascinating relationship between Darwin's revolutionary theories and artists of the late ninteenth century. These short podcasts will complement this ground-breaking exhibition by providing a range of 'alternative voices' exploring the works and themes raised within.

For this series of podcasts, the Fitz has enlisted the expertise of prominent scientists, historians, writers and Darwin specialists from Cambridge University and beyond, who will each discuss a different aspect of Darwin and his influence as explored in Endless Forms. This series will investigate topics as diverse as Darwin’s student life, images of our ancestors, monkeys and the missing link, Darwin and female sexuality, and modern-day creationism. In July, podcasts will also include exclusive interviews from the Cambridge Darwin 2009 Festival, which draws together expert speakers from around the world in a celebration of Darwin.

Watch the podcasts at www.darwinendlessforms.org/podcasts/, and tell us what you think by leaving a comment.

You can also watch the Endless Forms podcasts on the University of Cambridge’s iTunesU page . Subscribe to podcasts from The Fitzwilliam Museum

2 June 2009