The story behind the LANE movie celebrating Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.
Athanasia Tzika and Michel Milinkovitch co-direct the LANE (the Laboratory of Artificial & Natural Evolution) in the Department of Genetics & Evolution of the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Geneva (Switzerland). Like millions of people around the world —kids and adults alike— Athanasia and Michel are long-time admirers of David Attenborough’s marvellous nature programmes.
For a future outreach project explaining the principles of biological evolution, Fabrice Berger and Michel developed a realistic 3D model of Charles Darwin. As Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday approached, Athanasia had the idea of having Darwin —one of our greatest scientific heroes— come back to life to celebrate this memorable occasion. This idea was quickly embraced by all LANE members as a nice way to pay our respects to Sir David Attenborough. Hence, Michel teamed up with Fabrice Berger, a 3D artist, and Gregory Loichot, our webmaster and film editor, to produce a 3.5-minute movie in which Charles Darwin and the LANE celebrate Attenborough’s birthday.
We hope that our movie will contribute to honouring “the man who helped the world fall in love with nature”.
Have a great Attenborough Day!
Michel & Athanasia
Video Transcript
Charles Darwin’s message:
My dear Sir David Attenborough,
Though we have lived in different centuries, I cannot help but feel the deepest admiration for your work. In my day, I endeavoured to show how the diversity and complexity of life arise through the process of natural selection. Yet I could only describe fragments of nature, gathered during my travels and through correspondence with fellow naturalists.
You, however, have revealed that same living world to millions and you have allowed people everywhere to witness those endless forms most beautiful which have been—and are still being evolved. Most gratifying of all is that you have helped the public perceive the unity of life and the long history of its transformation.
With sincere gratitude, I wish you a most happy 100th birthday.
Tribute by Michel on behalf of the LANE team:
Dear Sir David Attenborough
Where Charles Darwin, one of our greatest scientific heroes, taught us to better understand the living world, you have inspired generations to cherish it. Indeed, your programmes and wonderful narration have inspired many of us to become scientists, naturalists, or simply lifelong lovers of nature. By bringing extraordinary places and creatures into our homes, you have helped millions discover the beauty and complexity of life on Earth.
At the same time, your work carries a fundamental message: this magnificent natural world deserves our care and our urgent attention.
All of us at the LANE are joining millions of people around the world to wish you a wonderful birthday. We thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your work and legacy.
The current LANE members thank David Attenborough and wish him a happy birthday.
Charles Darwin ends the sequence by saying “Happy birthday” again.