Celebrating Darwin Year:
An expedtion to promote knowledge
"We can understand much more about how nature will react to environmental change if we have a good understanding of evolution. That is why it is so important to convey to people what the theory of evolution means for our world," say the participants of the Norwegian Darwin expedition.
Three young biologists from the University of Oslo, Jens Ådne Rekkedal Haga, Kjetil Lysne Voje and Tore Oldeide Elgvin, followed in Darwin's footsteps for several months, armed with his diary notes and observations. They started their journey in Brazil in autumn 2008 and on 12 February this year, the anniversary of Darwin's birthday, ended their expedition on the Galápagos Islands.
Seek to inspire
(Photo: Darwinekspedisjonen)
"Our aim is to inspire others and demonstrate how interesting and important the theory of evolution is. The expedition that Darwin embarked on as a young man was the only long journey he took and had significance for everything he did later in life, including the development of the theory of evolution. Repeating this expedition is the most effective way of showing who Darwin really was and how and why he thought the way he did," the biologists state.
"There are, unfortunately, still a lot of people who have not understood the implications that Darwin's theory of the origin of species has - or does not have - for our understanding of our own species. It is particularly important to ensure that children and young people have access to this information," the participants of the expedition explain.
Many species have disappeared
Jens Ådne Rekkedal Haga in close encounter with an armadillo. (Photo: Darwinekspedisjonen)
Throughout the expedition the participants searched for the same animals, plants and experiences of the natural world that once inspired the young Darwin. But a lot has changed since Darwin was there.
"It was extremely interesting to be able to refer to Darwin's 175-year-old notes about the places we visited, to find out what things had been like there such a long time ago. Unfortunately a huge number of the species that Darwin described have disappeared. In Uruguay we met researchers who believe that as many as 90 per cent of the species from that time no longer exist," explains Jens Ådne Rekkedal Haga, one of the expedition's members.
Darwin focused on process
Perhaps what is most impressive about Darwin was his unrelenting determination to find natural explanations for the origins of what he was observing.
"In his description of the journey he often raises questions about how the things he was observing could have turned out exactly as they had. This preoccupation with the process itself and the constant search for explanations were no doubt crucial to the development of his theory of evolution through natural selection," states Rekkedal Haga.
On the Cerra la Campagna Mountain the expedition found large tarantulas. Tor Oldeide Elgvin (on the left) and Jens Ådne Rekkedal Haga. (Photo: Darwinekspedisjonen)
Evolution and ecology
According to the three biologists, an inadequate understanding of evolution can have unfortunate consequences for how we manage nature.
"Ecology provides us with knowledge about how we can best preserve our natural environment in the short term, but to manage nature in the longer term we also need evolutionary insight."
"It is evident that the evolution of many species is affected by the way we manage them. Evolutionary theory gives us an understanding of the size populations should be to prevent them from losing too much genetic variation and how species adapt to their surrounding environment. So, we can understand a lot more about how nature will respond to environmental change if we have a good understanding of evolution," the participants of the Darwin expedition agree.
Giving priority to communication
Throughout the entire expedition the participants publicised their trip and communicated their findings through a number of different channels such as Facebook, YouTube and blogs.
But their efforts to spread information do not stop there. Throughout the spring the researchers will appear on popular Norwegian radio and TV programmes both for children and adults. A documentary about the expedition is expected to be finished by November 2009, the 150-year anniversary of The Origin of Species. Rekkedal Haga, Lysne Voje and Oldeide Elgvin also intend to visit a large number of schools this year to raise awareness among Norwegian pupils of Darwin's work and how it has affected us.
Supported by the Research Council
The Research Council has been among the Darwin expedition's most important supporters, allocating funding under the PROREAL programme, which focuses on raising the profile of mathematics and science.
In 2009 the main themes of National Science Week, the annual Norwegian research festival organised by the Research Council, will be evolution and sustainability - two themes wholly in keeping with the spirit of the Darwin expedition.
- Published:
- 09.03.2009
- Last updated:
- 09.03.2009
