People have wanted to ask questions of Charles Darwin ever since “On the Origin of Species” was published in 1859.
Now 157 years later, you have a chance to speak with the famous 19th- century biologist, with one caveat: It’s a “synthetic” version of the man who first described evolutionary biology.
The Charles Darwin Synthetic Interview exhibit, formerly stationed at the Carnegie Science Center on the North Shore, now has evolved.
While the original multimedia exhibit potentially will find a new home at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Oakland, John Pollock, a Duquesne University biology professor who created the exhibit, has had it transformed into an app.
The app by the same name represents a full version of the popular exhibit that fielded 126,000 questions in just its first months at the science center, where it remained for about six years.
The app and exhibit feature actor Randy Kovitz — who starred in “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Dawn of the Dead” and “Concussion” — as Darwin. He is dressed as the English scientist and answers 199 questions inside his study about his explorations, his childhood and family and the scientific principle of evolution, which continues to spur spirited discussion.
A mirror behind the synthetic Darwin provides commentary from religious, philosophical and scientific experts, and even from Witold “Vic” Walczak, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania attorney, about the man and his science.
The full app is $9.99 for the full 4½ hours of content, with a free version available in which Darwin answers 24 of the most popular questions asked at the science center. The most popular was, “Where were you born?” The answer is Shrewsbury, England.
The app can be downloaded from the App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore, Mr. Pollock said.
Although the app first was released last fall, Mr. Pollock said, his primary goal was assuring its availability for the annual Darwin Day celebration Thursday at Duquesne, where a full-size mobile version of the exhibit will be unveiled during the keynote address of Sarah Tishkoff, a University of Pennsylvania geneticist who will describe how humans continue to evolve.
The app earned a Parents’ Choice award as a “fascinating and bordering on eerie (but in a good way)” presentation that “lets viewers select questions to ask the pioneering scientist, including his thoughts about “the public response to his discovery.”
“The app will best serve classrooms, libraries and all those fascinated by the life, explorations and contributions of Charles Darwin,” the Parents’ Choice publication states.
“John’s strength is that he’s a detailed science guy with a visual sense and a good way to convey science to the public,” said Dennis Bateman, the science center director of exhibits. “I think it added a great layer of depth to the exhibit and the conversational approach was the kind of thing we were looking for to reach the average visitor.”
Mr. Pollock, who holds a Ph.D. in biophysics, said the project uses synthetic interview technology developed at Carnegie Mellon University. The questions were based on a survey of 1,000 people in Pittsburgh about what they would ask Darwin, if possible. About half didn’t even know who he was.
David Lampe, the Duquesne biologist who organizes the annual Darwin Day celebration, helped script the synthetic Darwin’s answers to 199 key questions, based on Darwin’s own journal entries and writings. The project received funding through the National Institutes of Health and the Templeton Foundation. It was incorporated into the Pittsburgh Public Schools curriculum in 2009.
“My main goal is getting good information to people and getting them thinking,” Mr. Pollock said.
David Templeton: dtempleton@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1578. The writer has no connection with the Templeton Foundation.
Correction, Feb.22: A previous version of the story misidentified a University of Pennsylvania geneticist, her name is Sarah Tishkoff.
First Published: February 22, 2016, 5:00 a.m.
