Future meets nature in ‘Evolve’
Host Patrick Aryee explores ideas for human adaptation illustrated by the world around us
By 2050, it is thought that two-thirds of the world’s population might be facing a scarcity of fresh, potable water. That’s a crisis that extends beyond the poorest, developing countries, but it is also one that “speaks to our ethics and what our responsibilities are to each other,” says Patrick Aryee, host of “Evolve,” a new nature documentary series on the streaming service Curiosity Stream premiering Thursday.
On “Evolve,” Aryee introduces viewers to a beetle in the Namibian desert that uses its bumpy body to let droplets of fog condensation drip down into its mouth. This is fascinating to watch, but the charming and charismatic Aryee isn’t just showing us nature for nature’s sake. The series focuses on biomimicry and how we can learn from animals ways to create a more sustainable life for humans.
Beyond the beetle, he finds solutions to modern problems everywhere, from giraffes to mushrooms to the proteins found in squid teeth, which can be used for an environmentally sound and powerfully strong glue.
Aryee, who has a background in molecular and cellular biology, has been working on nature documentaries in his native Britain for years — he was a researcher for the legendary David Attenborough — and previously hosted a podcast and wrote a book about “30 Animals That Made Us Smarter.”
He spoke recently by video about why it all matters, his favorite segments and what he’d hope to include in a sequel.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
QYou’ve been working on nature documentaries for a decade. What drew you into this field
from science?
AOne of my biggest inspirations growing up in the ’90s was a show in Britain called “Tomorrow’s World.” Imagine Bill Nye the science guy having a magazine show. I remember an episode about stem cells and another about this revolutionary thing called broadband, which was going to mean we could download and get content much faster.
It means a lot to me to be able to be a storyteller and to tell these stories. I love being able to get out into the field. I love meeting people. I like to show off my knowledge and experience, but I also like to be surprised and to be honest if I don’t know something. I see my role as a curious friend — I’m out there and now I’m one of your mates and I’m going to tell you about this down at the pub.
QYou’ve always been fascinated by biomimicry as a key to sustainability. Why?
AIt feels inevitable, like a completion of a circle. These are Mother Nature’s blueprints, like Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches. But they are 3.8 billion years old; they’ve been there the whole time. We’ve finally seen the book and now we’re opening it and saying, “Wow, there’s all this stuff here.”
But the world we live in is run by money. So I wanted to create a show that features things like the bricks made from mushroom mycelium, which are much lighter than traditional bricks but even stronger, to say, “Hey, we can preserve these wild spaces and the flora, fauna or fungus, because it’s going to save us all and be good for business.”
It feels like that is the future.
QThe first episode starts with space travel and some ideas that seem far from being realized or from being practical here on earth. How important was it to strike a balance with ideas that were feasible in the short or medium-term?
AWe were quite conscious of that. We wanted the show to feel tangible, that these ideas are real, not just hyperbole or wishful thinking, like sci-fi. The key was to have a balance between some of those far-fetched ideas, which allow the audience’s mind to go wild — and there’s some joy in that — with the stories that are true and actionable today.
That’s why we had a segment on Ido Sella and his company ECOncrete, which creates new products to alter or replace traditional concrete along shorelines.
This is already happening. It’s a business and Ido is out there with it and it’s working.
Q AWhat were some of your favorite segments?
I like getting hands-on, so I loved the squid glue. You can see it in the actual sequence. I try and break the fourth wall, include the sound guys to grab and try to tear it. It’s a way of getting the audience to feel like they’re doing it.
I also enjoyed catching the bull shark and then helping tag it. It was good fun but hard work; I was dripping. But I had to double-check — if we’re going to be wrestling a bull shark, what are the ethics of it? I didn’t want to come across overly macho, doing a shark rodeo and losing all credibility. But we did our research and that is one of the safest ways to catch them, tag them and take a blood sample and get them back out.
QThe series features numerous scientists who are women or people of color. Was that a conscious decision on your part?
AAs a host, all that I can do is tell the production company how important this is to me. And it is really important and something I’m paying more attention to, being more accountable about getting more representation on screen. In terms of diversity of race, age and gender I think we did all right.
Once we have diverse voices in the scientists, we’ll have a far more well-rounded story to tell. It’s ultimately about the audience — people who are interested in or excited by science but don’t see themselves on screen so they don’t think it’s for them. When kids see someone that looks like them or their family on screen, they can identify with the story. If you feel like you have some ownership you’ll care more.
Q AHow much impact did the pandemic have on the show?
Getting around the world was tricky. That’s why we opted to focus so much on Namibia, which is one of my favorite countries. It’s beautiful. It’s hot but dry, which means no mosquitos — if you go to Borneo, you’ll get bitten by bumblebee-size mosquitos.
QSo what would you include in a sequel that you weren’t able to access this time around?
AOne of my all-time favorite stories is about Frank Fish, a marine scientist and professor who discovered that by adding bumps to the leading edges of wind turbines you could get 30% more power. Those bumps came about because he saw a model of humpback whale’s flippers. We’ve always thought about smooth levels on turbines, like on wings, but if nature has bumpy leading edges, he wondered, “Why are we not trying that?” He started a company called Whale Power that has been researching this. I would love to be able to see the turbines and to get in the water with humpback whales.