Darwin Now

The ready-made Darwin Now exhibition is still available to be shown in your venue, museum or school! Contact Manon de Ruijter for more information.

Darwin Now is an initiative of the British Council to celebrate the life and work of Charles Darwin and the impact his ideas about evolution still have on today's world. During the 2009 Darwin year an international programme of events is set up to engage people from around the world and to provide an opportunity to explore the relationship between evolution and society in an unprejudiced and open way.

In the Netherlands we have organised events at University College Utrecht, KNAW and NWO’s conference Evolution & Behaviour and at the Artis zoo. Have a look at our Darwin Now Events in the Netherlands page to see the pictures and quotes from participants.

Darwin Now Exhibition

The Darwin Now exhibition explores Darwin’s life, how he came up with his ground-breaking theory, and how his ideas are still relevant today. It sheds light on contemporary reactions to Darwin’s theories of evolution and how advances in fields as diverse as geology and economics influenced his thinking. The exhibition explores the importance of the theory of evolution to the contemporary world and modern science and highlights the work of several UK-based researchers who are pushing back the boundaries of evolutionary science.

The Darwin Now exhibition was on show at University College Utrecht until 14 October 2009 and has been on display at NWO’s conference Evolution & Behaviour , as part of the Darwin Week from 15-18 September 2009 organized by Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research ( NWO) and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( KNAW). For more information about the conference visit www.darwinweek.nl

Café Scientifique:

Café Scientifique events provide an interactive, relaxed setting in which people can talk about and discuss the latest thought-provoking science issues. You don't have to be a scientist or science student to take part. Café Scientifique is about the science of life and how it shapes our world. Because of this, everyone is welcome.

On Friday 16 October, Artis and the British Council Amsterdam have jointly organised a Premiere Evening in celebration of the Darwin Year. This special evening took place in the stunning planetarium at the Artis zoo. The event started with a Science Café titled "De menselijke evolutie, Darwin voorbij" (Human Evolution, Beyond Darwin) during which Bas Defize of University College Utrecht, and Jelle Reumer, Director Natural History Museum in Rotterdam, have together with the public discussed how humans influence evolution. After the Science Café, the new full dome film "Natural Selection" has been premiered. This film gives a lively impression of Darwin's voyage with the Beagle.

For more information about Darwin Now activities in the Netherlands please contact Manon de Ruijter