Darwin sails around the world again, assessing 'the future of species'

23 September 2009

Sarah Darwin, Charles Darwin’s great-great-granddaughter, will re sail her forefather’s famous voyage on H.M.S.Beagle, on the ‘Clipper Stad Amsterdam’, an imposing ship that sails under the Dutch flag. While Charles Darwin’s observations during his journey around the world later led to his publication of the Origin of Species, VPRO’s upcoming television series “Beagle, on the Future of Species”, will sail the entire voyage again, this time investigating the earth’s future, 150 years after the renowned publication that changed the way we view the world.

During the yearlong voyage, our host, Sarah Darwin, will be joined by international scientists, philosophers, historians, artists, like Christopher Lloyd, James Moore, Redmond O’ Hanlon and Daniel Dennett. They will escort Sarah and the Beagle crew members in an attempt to answer important contemporary questions, such as: What can we say about the true state of the environment? What will the earths’ future, and mankind’s, look like?

This exciting expedition will cross the oceans of the world, take viewers from Brazil to Patagonia, and from the Andes mountain range to the Galapagos islands. We will sail the Pacific Ocean to Australia and pass through the Cape of Good Hope. The crew will encounter oceanographic research ships at sea, swim with sharks and whales, investigate plastic garbage patches in the ocean and explore adventurous areas on land with ecologists, palaeontologists, and geologists. This will be a voyage of discovery into the wondrous beauty of life, focusing specifically on the changes the earth is currently undergoing. In order to measure these changes, the ‘Clipper Stad Amsterdam’ has sophisticated measuring equipment on board, turning it into a sailing laboratory, that serves as a thermometer for the earth.

Internationally acclaimed scientists from a range of disciplines will come on board and carry out various types of research along the route. Among the guests are journalist and historian Christopher Lloyd, palaeontologist Peter Ward, anthropologist and archaeologist Michael Heckenberger, geneticist and anthropologist Spencer Wells and one of the most prominent and influential American philosophers, Daniel Dennett. Fossil hunters, DNA researchers, geologists, oceanographers and other scientists within various field of expertise will conduct in-depth research to evaluate the earth’s current condition. This is also where the scientific knowledge of our hosts, Sarah Darwin and Dirk Draulans, both biologists, comes into play.

Philosophers, artists, writers and descendants of Charles Darwin will explore the influence of Darwin’s evolution theory on psychology, economy, language, religion and art. Among them, James Moore, biographer, historian and co-author of Darwin; Janet Browne, historian of biology and especially known for her two-volume biography, Charles Darwin: Voyaging; and also Randal and Simon Keynes, great-great-grandsons of Charles Darwin. Randal Keynes is the author of Annie's Box, subtitled Darwin, His Daughter, and Human Evolution. Emma Darwin, another great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin and author of the historical fiction novels The Mathematics of Love (2006) and A Secret Alchemy (2008) will join us; We will also meet the ecologist Jos Barlow, a Darwin descendent, who researches the Brazilian Amazon in the aftermath of fires linked to the 1997-1998 El-Niño event.

‘’Beagle, On the Future of Species’’, will be broadcasted by the Dutch and Belgian national public broadcasting organizations, VPRO and Canvas, but it is not a television series alone. It aims to be the most comprehensive cross medial project ever performed. The discoveries of Sarah and the crew members can be followed live via Webcams, Weblogs and Twitter, to name just a few of the exposure platforms, where viewers can tune in to the expedition. This project is an interactive experience for an international community, visible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the duration of 10 months.

Created in the Darwin year, “Beagle, On the Future of Species” marks Charles Darwin’ 200th birth year and the 150th anniversary of his publication Origin of Species. For more see http://beagle.vpro.nl/#/page/item/12/english/

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