EvoCast?

There has been some discussion in the comments section of the previous post about probable interest in a regular EvoCast (cf. Astronomy Cast) that people could listen to, presented by evolutionary biologists and covering basic processes and exciting discoveries in evolution. This, or something like a series of videos on Youtube, has crossed my mind. It would certainly fit nicely between Evolver Zone and E:EO. The question is, would this really be something people are keen to see? If I get the sense that there is a real interest in it, I may just follow up on it (though I already have plenty on my plate with the journal and other writing).

Let me know what you think!

7 thoughts on “EvoCast?

  1. i believe that a lot of people's doubts about evolution stem from misconception, and a well-founded understanding of evolution is necessary for people to form valid opinions. unfortunately, this information doesn't come easily for a lot of people. for me, the school system first introduced me to the theory of evolution in my final year of high school as one side-unit in biology class.

    looking back on this after all i've learned in my undergrad so far, i find it absurd! dobzhansky had it on the mark when he said "nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." it really should be one of the first principles you learn in public school science. while school curricula may take a while to reform, people need access to better sources of information.

    as a biology student interested in evolution, i would definitely watch an regular evocast. but i also hope a videocast could be the medium by which experts in the field could directly reach out to more people and spark the interest of non-scientists.

  2. Yes! Please!

    Right now Earth & Environmental Systems podcast by Dr. Christian Shorey is the only other good one, but his are more like lectures.

    I'd love a fresh perspective!

  3. A podcast would be the way to go. A videocast would involve about 45x more work. If you don't have the time, might I suggest a hand picked grad student? Fame, women, invites to TAM, etc. all await one who could create a decent evocast. Look at George Hrab. Consider, also, the google ad revenue for the evocast page would easily exceed $1.38 a month. That's US currency too.

  4. I think that at least a few tens of thousands of people would be interested in it. Other science podcasts get about that number, so I don't see why an EvolutionCast wouldn't get a similar amount.

    I'd recommend doing a weekly audio podcast, as it would be a lot less work than video. However, even this would take a lot of work, so I'd suggest getting as many collaborators as possible (especially people willing to do the more mundane and tedious technical aspects).

    I'd also recommend getting as many organizations to sponsor and collaborate on the show as possible. It could be the companion podcast to the E:EO journal for instance, and perhaps the Integrative Biology department at Guelph could support it.

    You could probably get CFRU to re-broadcast them as well, as I've heard that they would like more science content.

    The iTunes music store is the biggest podcast thing online, so you would have to get on there as soon as possible.

  5. either will attract a good following but the videos may attract a more diverse audience but will entail much more work esp. if pics and experiments are to be shown. start with a podcast and then branch from there to videos as time and audience interest grows.

    content suggestions – when the basic processes are discussed have them developed to the level of your journal writing (not in the same episode) as i find that it very useful in correcting some naive and incorrect assumptions i made about various evolutionary mechanisms. please discuss real biological controversies and encourge debates between experts so that both sides of the scientific process can be seen, consensus when the evidence dictates it and disagreement when the evidence is unclear or ambiguous.

  6. "please discuss real biological controversies and encourge debates between experts so that both sides of the scientific process can be seen, consensus when the evidence dictates it and disagreement when the evidence is unclear or ambiguous."

    I second this. Examining real scientific controversies are an excellent way of teaching science. Note of course, I'm discussing real controversies within the scientific community, not fake controversies created by those who deny various bits of science.

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