SPEAKER: JOANNE SOUZA, Ph.D
Director, Biology Online / Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology / STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY

SUBJECT: DARWIN: One of Darwin’s unanswered questions: In what ways are humans unique among animals and how did we get that way within the process of evolution by natural selection?

DESCRIPTION: Charles Darwin’s major contribution to science was his theory of evolution explaining biological change over time made possible by the process of natural selection. His science predicting that all life shares a common ancestor shook the religious belief systems at the time and continues to do so today. His theory was not only disruptive of traditional belief, but also scientifically revolutionary. He started scientists in a direction that would allow them to continue to gain more insight into biological life, culminating in the contemporary molecular revolution and initial breakthroughs in social and behavioral evolution, including development of kin-selection theory by Bill Hamilton, George C. Williams and others. However, could natural selection explain the apparently unprecedented properties of humans? Could it explain that we even comprehend our own ultimate origins, that we are highly intelligent, and have a strong ethical and moral system? Could natural selection explain our uniquely large degree of social cooperation between non-closely related individuals, a cooperative scale that has continued to grow in size over our ~2 million year history as a species? Could it explain our expanded language capabilities which extend far beyond those of non-human animals? Could it explain the evolution of human emotions such as guilt and moral outrage? Could it explain our ability to put a man on the Moon? We have now progressed to the point in our understanding of evolution to say, yes, evolution by natural selection could and did produce such a human animal. Come, enjoy the science and contribute to a discussion on this new scientific understanding.

The cost of this event is $20 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker.