Researchers and conservationists have set off on a two-year voyage to retrace Charles Darwin's famous journey across the globe. The expedition comes more than 190 years after the naturalist sailed the world collecting specimens and shaping ideas that would help him formulate his theory of evolution.
The expedition, named Darwin200, began on 15 August when an international team set off from Plymouth, England, on board the Dutch tall ship Oosterschelde. The team will sail more than 46,000 miles (74,000 km) and drop anchor in 32 different ports across four continents, before ending their journey in Falmouth, U.K. Along the way, they will collect scientific data, train future environmentalists and promote conservation.
The expedition's route will closely follow Darwin's original voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, which set off from Plymouth on 27 December, 1831 and returned to Falmouth on 2 October, 1836.
Darwin was 22 years old when he joined the expedition with the intention of seeing the world before joining the church. But during the trip, Darwin became fascinated by the wide range of different species he encountered, which eventually led to him formulating his theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin's account of the journey, which was published after his return, also helped him establish his reputation as one of Victorian Britain's academic elite.
The main aim of the new expedition is to train and inspire 200 young environmentalists, between 18 and 25 years old, who will each spend a week on board the Oosterschelde studying threatened species that Darwin encountered on his voyage.