Natural History Museums and Society

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology, Dr. Cristián Samper, Director of the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution, examined the past, present, and future of natural history museums in society.  

This Brick Ark: Celebrating the Museum of Comparative Zoology's (MCZ) First 150 Years and the Beginning of the Next 150

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Dr. James Hanken, Director of the MCZ, explored the history of this institution, what it can tell us about the changing role of university-based natural history museums, and what museums must do to survive in the 21st century. 

Looking Back, Looking Forward: A Conversation with James D. Watson and Edward O. Wilson

On September 9, 2009, James D. Watson, a Nobel Prize winner for his role in the discovery of the of the structure of DNA, and Edward O. Wilson, a pioneer in the study of biodiversity and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, reflected on their storied careers, including their time together at Harvard, and looked ahead to the key challenges for biological sciences in the 21st century. Moderated by Robert Krulwich, award-winning journalist and correspondent for National Public Radio.

2009 Evolution Matters Lecture Series

Presented February-April 2009 as part of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, the Evolution Matters lecture series featured discussions on evolutionary theory, the impact of Charles Darwin's work, and current evolution research. Lectures include:

Darwin at 200: Rethinking the Revolution by Janet Browne, Aramont Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University

Evolution in the Post-Genomic Age by Pardis Sabeti, Assistant Professor in Harvard University’s Center for Systems Biology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Survival of the Fleetest, Smartest, or Fattest?: Human Evolution 150 Years After Darwin by Daniel Lieberman, Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University

Finding Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin, University of Chicago Paleontologist

Conserving the World's Biodiversity: How the Climate Crisis Could Both Hurt and Help

On April 5, 2009, President of Conservation International, Dr. Russell Mittermeier discussed how climate change may present us with an opportunity to protect and invest in “biodiversity hotspots” at a level far beyond that previously thought possible.

Designing the Urban Ark: Biodiversity and the Future of Cities

On March 18, 2009, Kristina Hill, Associate Professor and Director of Landscape Architecture at the University of Virginia, presented a vision for biodiversity and urban planning based on human self-interest, development conditions, climate change, and lessons learned in other regions of the United States.

Watch other Harvard Museum of Natural History lecture videos featured on WGBH Forum Network and Harvard@Home. Lecturers include John Frederick Walker, author of Ivory's Ghosts: The White Gold of History and the Fate of Elephants, and world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall.