The Future of Evolution Lecture Series

A series of talks sponsored by and held at the Arizona Science Center.

: Wednesdays in February
5:30-6:30 p.m.
Free General Admission

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”-Charles Darwin

Hosted by the Arizona State University School of Life Sciences, this special series celebrates Darwinfest, a cultural collaborative commemorating Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. Come learn more about how Darwin’s bold thinking has evolved into new understanding about us, our origins, biodiversity and life beyond Planet Earth.

: Evolution in Arizona’s public high schools - what your students should be learning and why
Feb. 4, 2009
Caitlin Schrein
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Instructor, School of Life Sciences
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Arizona State University

How can you ensure that your student is getting the science education he or she deserves? Caitlin Schrein will explain the Arizona state standards for high school science courses, the new AIMS science test, Arizona's high school graduation requirements, and various relevant requirements of Arizona’s public state university system. Find out how learning about biological evolution in high school can affect your students’ academic success and preparation for a rigorous public university education.

: What Darwin Got Right (and Wrong) About Human Evolution
Feb. 11, 2009
Mark Spencer
Institute of Human Origins
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Arizona State University

A single, potent sentence in Darwin’s The Origin of Species - “Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history’ - initiated 150 years of investigation and led to the now vibrant field of paleoanthropology. Our modern understanding of human evolution would have delighted Darwin, even while showing many of his speculations on the subject to be wrong. From our origin in Africa to the great diversity of extinct human relatives, discover how far we’ve come in revealing our evolutionary past.

: Species Exploration: transforming discovery to meet the biodiversity crisis
Feb. 18, 2009
Quentin Wheeler
ASU Vice President
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Director
International Institute for Species Exploration Professor
School of Life Sciences
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Arizona State University

From the discovery of unknown and unnamed species in the wild to the museums that come to house them, listen in as this real life species explorer talks about birds, beasts, beetles, the people that work with them, and how ASU is advancing their discovery amidst the increasing biodiversity crisis.

: Aliens under our noses? Feb. 25, 2009
Paul Davies
Director, Beyond: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Arizona State University

Is life on Earth a freak side-show, or a natural and common product of a universe that has intrinsically bio-friendly laws? Many scientists believe that life will emerge almost automatically wherever there are earthlike conditions. If so, then it should have started many times over right here on Earth. Is it possible that our planet hosts one or more shadow biospheres, containing weird microbial descendants of alternative genesis events? Incredibly, nobody has looked. Yet the answer will determine one of the biggest of the big questions of existence: are we alone in the universe?

*Speakers and topics are subject to change. Visit azscience.org for up-to-date information.