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At University of Cambridge an archive was discovered that had gone unnoticed for decades: inside were herbaria, drawings, and watercolors that marked the beginning of the scientific journey of Charles Darwin himself. These very materials once helped him become a naturalist and join the famous expedition aboard HMS Beagle. University staff decided to bring the historical find back to life and use it for the first time to teach modern students.
The discovered materials belonged to John Stevens Henslow — professor of botany and Darwin's mentor. For nearly 200 years they were kept in storage, preserving rare illustrations and plant specimens: some of them are Henslow's earliest teaching materials, while others are the very plants that Darwin once studied with his own eyes. Based on materials from the past, Cambridge is launching a new botany course where students will learn the way Darwin did. The program includes not only working with original illustrations, but also fieldwork in the same types of terrain where the scientist once worked.
Today in the United Kingdom, botany as a separate discipline has nearly disappeared from educational programs — because of this, as teachers note, even strong students often cannot accurately describe plants or understand their diversity. The new course at Cambridge aims to fill this gap and restore attention to the basic skills without which it is impossible to study ecosystems and preserve biodiversity.
