Harvard professor to speak to club
Evolutionary biologist will discuss the impact of new discoveries on Darwin's theory
Noted Harvard professor Dr. Andrew Berry will be coming to Sacramento this Saturday, April 25, to talk about Charles Darwin, evolution, and the history of science.
Dr. Berry is a British evolutionary biologist and historian of science. He has worked on the script development for several major TV shows, including “Race, the Power of an Illusion” in 2003 by PBS and NOVA's “Lord of the Ants.” Please see his Wikipedia entry.
The event, which is free, will start at 5:30 p.m. at the Iron Grill, 2422 13th Street. Please RSVP so we have an idea of how many people to expect. Light food and beverages will be served.
Here is a brief overview of his topic: “What Darwin Didn't Know: Evolution since The Origin.”
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was a remarkable synthesis of natural history observations and simple experimental results. Perhaps, though, the most impressive thing about the theory is the way in which it has survived more than 150 years of remarkable progress in biology. It has proved a truly resilient idea. That is not to say, however, that the theory has not undergone modifications as our biological knowledge has expanded in directions that would have been inconceivable to Darwin. This talk will review the essence of Darwin’s ideas while taking excursions into some of the most exciting post-Darwin discoveries. In particular, the focus will be on human evolution, an area in which our knowledge has recently expanded massively with fossil discoveries and the application of modern genetics to both ourselves and, remarkably, to our extinct relatives, the Neanderthals.