Dimensions of Darwin

Over his lifetime, Charles Darwin generated an enormous written archive and amassed a wide array of specimens and objects. Much of this is now housed amongst the University of Cambridge collections. Technological advances make it increasingly possible to engage with physical archives in virtual space.
An exciting sample of items from across the University of Cambridge collections, all relating to Darwin’s work, have been selected by specialists collaborating on the project. The items will all undergo a variety of imaging techniques. We can then begin to explore how we can engage with them and their stories in virtual space.
A bit about some of the items featured in this film:
1) An Egg of the spotted nothura (Nothura maculosa), a species of tinamou, collected by Darwin on the Beagle voyage from Maldonado (Uruguay) in 1833 and damaged by him when packed in a box that was too small.
2) Two Octopuses collected at the very beginning of Beagle voyage in early 1832 near St Jago (now Santiago), Cape Verde Islands; Darwin delighted at their ability to change colour in rock pools and at first thought this was a new observation to science.
3) A self-recording auxanometer for measuring plant growth made by Darwin's son Horace in 1876 and probably used by his other son Francis when he assisted his father with experiments for Power of movement in plants (1880).