Launched last night, Darwin200 is a national programme of events celebrating Charles Darwin's scientific ideas and their impact around his two hundredth birthday on 12 February 2009.
Darwin's theory - that life has evolved by natural selection over millions of years - revolutionised our understanding of the world and our place within it, paving the way for seeing humans as an integral part of nature. Medicine, agriculture, politics and art are just a few of the areas that have been profoundly influenced by his idea. Today, evolution is at the heart of some of our hottest issues, from bird flu and MRSA to equality and how we educate our children.
Research Councils UK will be running a programme of public engagement activities throughout 2009 that focus on the use of Darwin's theories in contemporary research, from science and engineering to art and society.
The RCUK Darwin Today website, http://darwin.rcuk.ac.uk, features video podcasts and articles that encourage visitors to get involved in discussions about modern evolution research. These discussions will be used to help inform the activities run in 2009.
Darwin200: http://www.darwin200.org/