Fitzwilliam Museum - Darwin and the Arts

Science writer Dr. Marek Kohn discusses the various artistic reactions to the bleaker side of evolutionary thinking, as presented in the exhibition 'Endless Forms'. Is nature a nuturing Earth Mother or a pitiless force? Is mankind on the side of the apes or the angels?

Professor Elizabeth Edwards explores how the emerging mass medium of photography engaged with popular Darwinian ideas in the nineteenth century, and how notions of race, 'type' and 'hard science' collided with troubling results.

Dr. Gowan Dawson discusses the intriguing representation - and sexualisation - of apes in the nineteenth century, from pickled specimens on display to an eager public to images of marauding predators - and even lascivious lovers. (Please note: this podcast contains some sexually explicit images.)

Why was the idea of the missing link so wildly popular in the later nineteenth century? And why did Darwin's public image differ so greatly across Europe? Dr. Peter Kjaergaard examines how Darwin's ideas have been communicated and miscommunicated over the past 150 years, from print translations to the internet - and with very different intentions.

John Brooke, former Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University, gives his take on the exhibition 'Endless Forms', and discusses the implications of Darwinism for religious accounts of creation and design in the natural world.

Evolutionary physician Professor Randolph Nesse explores the idea of 'Darwin's eye', and discusses what evolution means for our bodies, our emotions and our behaviour - as well as the disturbing implications of this view of the world.

Lord Robert May, Former President of the Royal Society and UK Government Chief Advisor for Science explores the significance of Darwin and his 'unsolved problems' for the issues facing populations today, and how the nineteenth-century preoccupation with 'where we come from' has given way to a focus on our imminent - and worrying - future as a planet.

Sir Peter Crane, Former Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, talks about the fascinating friendship between Darwin and the botanist Joseph Hooker. (An audio-only podcast from the 2009 Cambridge Darwin Festival.)

Can Darwinian ideas of evolution and adaptation really explain why we are how we are? Philosopher of science Professor Philip Kitcher explores the insights - and pitfalls - that Darwinism can bring to philosophical discussions about human nature and behaviour. (An audio-only podcast from the 2009 Cambridge Darwin Festival.)

Nobel Prize-winning biologist and Rockefeller University President Sir Paul Nurse takes a tour of the exhibition 'Endless Forms', introducing his personal highlights from a scientist's perspective. (An audio-only podcast from the 2009 Cambridge Darwin Festival.)

What evolutionary purpose does beauty serve? And why does the idea of 'female mate choice' not hold true when it comes to primates and humans? From peacocks' tails to the kinds of sexual signals we can't even see, evolutionary biologist Professor Tim Clutton-Brock explores Darwin's theory of sexual selection.

The Descent of Man would forever change the way we thought about ourselves and where we come from - but how accurate was Darwin in his ideas about human evolution? Professor Robert Foley, Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies explores how 19th-century society viewed ideas of 'early man', and reveals how far our knowledge has progressed since Darwin sketched his 'evolutionary tree'.

Plant specimens may seem an unlikely starting point for Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection - but, as Professor John Parker investigates in this podcast, the Cambridge botanist John Stevens Henslow proved a crucial mentor for the young naturalist. Find out how Darwin shipped his collections from the Beagle voyage back to Cambridge, and how these almost 200 year-old specimens can today give us a snapshot of long-extinct botanical life.

Dr. John van Wyhe, Director of DarwinOnline, discusses Darwin's student days at Christ's College, Cambridge in the 1820s, and investigates the young naturalist's developing eye for visual observation - as well as debunking a few persistent Darwin myths. Also featured: how Darwin's rooms were restored and re-opened to the public.

Jane Munro, Co-Curator of the 'Endless Forms: Charles Darwin, Natural Science and the Visual Arts' at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (16 June - 4 October 2009) introduces the new podcast series complementing this exhibition, which explores Darwin's influence on 19th-century art. (www.darwinendlessforms.org)

Why was the young Darwin's fascination with geology so important for his later work? And why was prehistory so popular in early nineteenth-century Britain? A podcast with Professor Jim Secord, Director of the Darwin Correspondence Project and Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, to complement the exhibition 'Endless Forms' at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (16 June - 4 October 2009).