Note that this information was all provided in a recent post on the main page, so if you’ve already read that post, you unfortunately won’t find any new information here. Otherwise, read on!
What’s Sequencing History going to be about?
I expect the scope of Sequencing History to grow and change over time, so take what’s written here with a grain of salt. I’m intending that the podcast be one part popular science, and one part history. I plan to explore some of the dramatic events and stories that have occurred in the history of the the life sciences, with an eye towards presenting these unfamiliar stories to an intelligent audience (that’s you!). You won’t need any special background in either history or biology to understand and appreciate these tales.
Let me provide you with an example. The first story (which will be the topic of a series of connected podcast episodes) will be about the voyages of the HMS Beagle in the early 1800’s. That’s the ship that Charles Darwin was a passenger on when he visited the Galapagos Islands in 1835 and made the observations that would eventually form the foundation of his theory of Evolution by Natural Selection.
But to tell this tale properly, I’m actually weaving together three interconnected stories. The first is of the HMS Beagle herself – while she is likely one of the most famous wooden sailing vessels of all time, we know shockingly little about her. No piece of her survives to this day and we’re unsure what plans were used to build her. Although we have numerous accounts of the ship, she went through at least two major retrofits during her service, meaning that accounts differ, sometimes dramatically. There are also paintings of her that don’t match these accounts. So what was this ship actually like, and why would such a tiny vessel be commissioned by the Royal Navy?
Then there is young, handsome, deeply religious, and insanely successful Robert Fitzroy, captain of the HMS Beagle, whose desire for a dinning companion on his second voyage to South America ultimately brought him in contact with Charles Darwin. They formed a firm friendship that withstood many trials, but was tested and finally broken by Darwin’s theories on evolution. Fitzroy was equal parts gentleman officer and brooding academic. His charm and personal charisma sometimes hid bouts of dark depression and flashes of sudden rage. We have him to thank for the science of weather prediction (among other things), and he would undoubtedly be better remembered if he didn’t stand beside the man whose ideas built one of the pillars of modern biology.
And finally, there is Darwin himself. The son of an upper-middle class doctor who seems to have wanted nothing more than for this two boys to follow in the family trade, Darwin must have seemed like a constant disappointment as he left medical school, and then showed little interest in his studies at Cambridge. Darwin spent most of his time skipping class to collect rare beetles in the woods and debate natural philosophy with his friends. Despite his unremarkable academic record, he was given the opportunity to join Fitzroy as a dinner companion and naturalist (a position he almost didn’t get because of the shape of his head!). Although Darwin’s father saw this as just another way for his son to shirk his duties, the observations Darwin made during the voyage gave him instant notoriety for his work in geology (much to the surprise and relief of his father). Only years later would Darwin turn his intellect to biology and evolution.
These three threads weave together into a story of rolling seas and worse weather, of exploration and adventure, hostile natives and wild boat chases, depression and suicide, of friendship and camaraderie, and so much more! I honestly can’t wait to share it all with you.
How often will episodes be released?
The first thing you should know is that this isn’t going to be a weekly podcast. The stories I want to tell are ones that require significant research and other preparatory work before they can be weaved into a complete story. That won’t happen overnight. But this should mostly impact the length of time between stories (which will often be told in a series of connected episodes).
So how often will episodes within a series be released? Well, the most relevant factor here will be the length of these episodes. Shorter episodes could be released more frequently, but I’m not sure that short episodes are the best way to tell a complex story – 20 minutes seems like only just enough time to introduce a topic and then give the “next time on Sequencing History” spiel. Plus (as you can likely tell from this post), brevity is not my strongest suit.
The short answer, then, is I don’t know how frequently content will be released, and I don’t know how long each episode will be. Undoubtedly these will change a little as I experiment to find the length that best fits the story at hand. If you have any thoughts or opinions on episode length or how long you’d be willing to wait between episodes, please post comments below!
When can we expect the first episode?
Well, the prep work is all done, all I need to do is record, edit, and post this thing. Sounds simple, right? Well it’s proving to be somewhat complicated. I have an expectation of perfection for recorded media that simply isn’t as present when I lecture in the classroom. So, I have recordings of the episode, just not the right recording. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that I want to record and produce the very best podcast that I can. The story, and you, certainly deserve my best, and I’m still trying to figure out how to make that a reality. I’m sure that each episode I record will be a little easier, but this first one is really a challenge.
Given all that, I think it’s reasonable to expect the first episode to be recorded and ready to go by the end of October. From there, I’ll get the joy of figuring out how to set up an RSS feed, opening an account with libsyn, and figuring out the technical details. My impression is all of that is fairly easy, but I assume it will take time for a clueless individual like me to figure it all out. So even if things go dramatically wrong, the episode should be out before Thanksgiving. I’ll be very interested in what you all think about it once it is released!