In this bonus episode of Ocean Matters, producer Izzie Clarke explores the very first theories of how islands are formed from Charles Darwin and his time on HMS Beagle. Joining her is Alistair Sponsel, Historian of the Life Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Senior Research Fellow in Science, Technology & Society at Harvard University, who explained where the crew’s research began and how this has shaped our understanding of remote islands. If you want to find out more about Darwin, Alistair has written a book on his life called “Darwin's Evolving Identity: Adventure, Ambition, and the Sin of Speculation” Ocean Matters is a Fresh Air production for the Bertarelli Foundation.       See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.