Evolution Matters: Winter Lecture Series
Evolutionary theory is the core concept that frames entire fields of inquiry and continues to inform current research. This season, the HMNH again presents lectures by three Harvard scientists to highlight cutting-edge research and advancements in our understanding of evolution.
Lectures are free and open to the public.
Lectures are held at the Geological Lecture Hall at 24 Oxford Street (adjacent to the museum).
Both our bodies and our societies have adapted to a cooked diet, which provides us with large amounts of energy and makes food easy to eat. On this Valentine's Day, Harvard anthropologist Richard Wrangham will describe the role that cooked food has played in human evolution and bonding, and the secrets of cooking dating back almost two million years to the origins of humanity.
Is evolution only about competition and survival of the fittest? Martin Nowak, Professor of Mathematics and Biology at Harvard University, argues that cooperation is what really makes evolution tick and produces everything from genomes to human society. Nowak will discuss five mechanisms for the evolution of cooperation, and how they're key to the development of our social intellect.
Pregnancy is the most intimate of human relationships and, just like any other relationship, there is potential for both cooperation and conflict. In this lecture, Dr. Haig, Professor of Biology at Harvard, will discuss the various genetic conflicts that transpire within the human womb, and visit the assumption that what's good for the mother is also good for the fetus. Haig will consider evolutionary conflicts over the amount of maternal blood flowing to the placenta, and use this perspective to consider the causes of preeclampsia.
