Embedded Files
Each of these links will take you to interesting articles on science topics.
Selected Sci-News Items October 05 - October 11, 2019
Harvard Museum of Natural History (See some descriptions of relevant lectures below.)
News — Nov 13, 2018 7:27:40 PM
Evolution Matters series is supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit
- Geological Lecture Hall
- 24 Oxford St, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
- Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage
Thu, Mar 28 at 6 PM – 7 PM Harvard Museum of Natural History
Thu, Mar 28 at 6 PM – 7 PM Harvard Museum of Natural History
Paul Turner, Elihu Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Microbiology Program Faculty Member, Yale University
Viruses are the tiniest but most numerous inhabitants of Earth. Although notorious for causing deadly epidemics, not all viruses are bad. Many are beneficial to their hosts and several play key roles in maintaining the health of ecosystems. Paul Turner will discuss the “good, bad, and ugly” effects of viruses, from how they invade organisms and wreak havoc in biological systems to how they are used to control pests and develop cancer treatments, among other medical therapies.
Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Paul Turner’s research interests include virology, evolutionary biology, evolutionary medicine, vector-borne disease, and phage therapy. He uses an interdisciplinary approach, employing techniques from microbiology, population genetics, genomics, molecular biology, and mathematical modeling to study hypotheses in ecology and evolutionary biology. Turner serves on committees for the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Society for Microbiology, and is author of nearly 100 scholarly journal articles, reviews, and book chapters on the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. He has held many leadership appointments at Yale University, including Chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and, most recently, Dean of Science. He holds a B.A. in Biological Sciences from the University of Rochester, and a Ph.D. in Zoology from Michigan State University.
Living with White Sharks
Living with White Sharks
Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 6 PM – 7 PM
Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 6 PM – 7 PM
Gregory Skomal has studied and tracked white sharks in the Atlantic for more than 30 years. In this lecture, he will examine the behavior, ecology, natural history, and population dynamics of this species, and how scientific research can help sharks and humans coexist in the Cape Cod waters.
GREGORY SKOMAL
Program Manager and Senior Scientist, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
The Cape Cod white shark population has increased in recent years in response to the dramatic increase in the seal population. Shark sightings—some close to popular swimming and surfing beaches—are becoming more frequent and negative interactions between sharks and humans have become a real concern. Gregory Skomal has studied and tracked white sharks in the Atlantic for more than 30 years. In this lecture, he will examine the behavior, ecology, natural history, and population dynamics of this species, and how scientific research can help sharks and humans coexist in the Cape Cod waters.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Gregory Skomal is an accomplished marine biologist, underwater explorer, photographer, and author. He has been a fisheries scientist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries since 1987 and currently heads the Massachusetts Shark Research Program. He is also adjunct faculty at the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology and an adjunct scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He holds a M.A. from the University of Rhode Island and a Ph.D. from Boston University. For more than 30 years, Greg has been actively involved in studying the life history, ecology, and physiology of sharks. He has written dozens of scientific research papers and has appeared in a number of film and television documentaries, including programs for National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, BBC, and other television networks.
Wed, Apr 10 at 6 PM – 7 PM Harvard Museum of Natural History
Wed, Apr 10 at 6 PM – 7 PM Harvard Museum of Natural History
Microbes play critical roles in the biology and health of human beings, but we are not the only species that benefits from intimate relationships with microbes. Ants, for instance, rely on the microbial communities living in their guts to process food and make strong armor. Corrie Moreau will discuss this unique aspect of ant biology and what it tells us about the diversity and dominance of ants in terrestrial ecosystems, the evolutionary history of social insects, and the broad-scale evolutionary patterns of life.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Corrie Moreau's research on the evolution and diversification of ants and their symbiotic bacteria leverages molecular and genomic tools to address the origin of species and how co-evolved systems benefit both partners. She also pursues questions on the role of biogeography and symbiosis in shaping macroevolutionary processes to better understand broad-scale evolutionary patterns of life. Moreau is also engaged with efforts to promote science communication and to increase diversity in the sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University and completed her undergraduate and master degrees in Biology at San Francisco State University. She was elected an AAAS Fellow in 2018, a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences USA in 2016, and highlighted as a Woman of Impact by the National Geographic Society in 2018.
Self-Domestication in Bonobos and Other Wild Animals
Self-Domestication in Bonobos and Other Wild Animals
Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 6 PM – 8 PM
Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 6 PM – 8 PM
Presented by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
Richard Wrangham, Ruth Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
Domesticated animals such as dogs, pigs, and horses often sport floppy ears, patches of white hair, and other features that are unknown in their wild ancestors. These traits—collectively referred to by scientists as a “domestication syndrome”—are the result of breeding less aggressive individuals. Drawing from his new book, The Goodness Paradox (2019, Pantheon Books), Richard Wrangham will show that our cousin apes, the bonobos, also exhibit a domestication syndrome, making them the first clear example of a “wild domesticate.” Self-domestication in the wild now seems likely to be a widespread phenomenon, responsible even for the evolution of our own species, Homo sapiens.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Richard Wrangham has conducted extensive research on primate ecology, nutrition, and social behavior. He is best known for his work on the evolution of human warfare, described in the book Demonic Males, and on the role of cooking in human evolution, described in the book Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. He founded the Kibale Chimpanzee Project in 1987, and together with Elizabeth Ross, he co-founded the Kasiisi Project in 1997. He serves as a patron of the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP). Wrangham holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.
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