Evolution of technology: Darwin goes online
Written on April 17, 2008 – 9:31 am
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
The work of a man who changed science and the way many people look at the world and its history is being published online. Organizers from Cambridge University Library were noble enough to make the first draft of Charles Darwin’s “On The Origin Of Species” and some 20,000 items plus 90,000 images available to the public on darwin-online.org.uk.
Looking into the works of the legendary scientist used to be a privilege for scholars. But with this release, everyone can learn more about how Darwin formulated his controversial theory of evolution. The collection also contains, amongst other things, family pictures, newspaper scraps and reviews of his books.
“This release makes his private papers, mountains of notes, experiments, and research behind his world-changing publications available to the world for free,” said John van Wyhe, director of the project, to Reuters.
“The release of his papers online marks a revolution in the public’s access to - and hopefully appreciation of - one of the most important collections of primary materials in the history of science.”
It sure does, and I hope other Universities will follow. So that in five years from now, it will be really normal to look up some personal notes and manuscripts from a much-admired scientist, writer, or journalist. And for that matter.., blogger.
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