Goodies from Darwin
Just when you thought the frenzy of Charles Darwin anniversary celebrations was on the wane, there is another tasty morsel. But unlike the multitude of TV and radio documentaries, books and exhibitions honouring the grandad of evolution, this item is all about popular participation.
A project called Darwin Aloud is calling on people around the world to send in videos of themselves reading in their native tongue from the final chapter of On the Origin of Species. The twist is that the backdrop should be a famous landmark, spectacular scenery or a site of scientific importance.
The project is run by the US-based Center for Inquiry, a not-for-profit think tank that publishes the journal Skeptical Inquirer. They will splice together films from as many different readers as possible, aiming for a rich variety of people, locations and languages in the final cut, which will be posted online. Details about where, what and how to read and advice about film and sound quality, can be found on the Darwin Aloud website. The deadline for submissions is June 1.