Boston Flora

Tag: Evolution Matters

  • Wednesday, November 10, 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm – Biogeography Across Broken Continents and Sunken Islands, Online

    Gonzalo Giribet, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology; Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology, and Director, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, will speak online on November 10 at 6 pm as part of Harvard’s Evolution Matters Lecture Series, supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. Free, but advance registration required at https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Nu9A1HZZQvKx8IgISFXtyw

    The major continents of the Southern Hemisphere—Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica—as well as India and islands in the Pacific, were once part of Gondwana, an ancient supercontinent that began to break up about 180 million years ago. How did this breakup influence the evolution of ecosystems and organisms found on modern continents and islands? This is one of the questions that biogeography, the study of how organisms are distributed across space and time, seeks to answer. Gonzalo Giribet will discuss how he uses biogeography and tiny invertebrate species to understand the biological and geological history of New Zealand and New Caledonia, two islands that were once part of Gondwana.

  • Thursday, April 18, 6:00 pm – Frontiers in Evolution

    Frontiers in Evolution is a special event taking place April 18 at 6 pm in the Geological Lecture Hall of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge, moderated by Andrew J. Berry, Lecturer on Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

    New approaches to studying evolutionary processes, from genomics to big data, have revolutionized the study of organisms across geological time and geographical space. Join us for a series of short “flash” lectures presented by Harvard graduate students and learn about the range of questions that scientists are asking today about evolution.

    Evolution Matters Lecture Series

    Series supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit

    Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage

  • Wednesday, April 10, 6:00 pm – Chasing Ants (And Their Microbes) in the Rainforest

    Corrie Moreau, Moser Professor of Arthropod Biosystematics and Biodiversity, Cornell University , will give a free public lecture on April 10 at 6 pm in the Geological Lecture Hall of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge.

    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.

    Evolution Matters Lecture Series

    Series supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit

    Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage

  • Tuesday, April 3, 6:00 pm – Life’s Engines: How Microbes Made Earth Habitable

    Paul Falkowski, Distinguished Professor, Bennett L. Smith Chair in Business and Natural Resources, Departments of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, will speak on Tuesday, April 3 at 6 pm in the Geological Lecture Hall at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street, on the topic Life’s Engines: How Microbes Made Earth Habitable. The free public lecture is part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series, supported by a generous gift from Dr.s Herman and Joan Suit.

    For almost four billion years, microbes had the primordial oceans all to themselves. Over time, they transformed the chemistry of our planet, making it habitable for plants, animals, and humans. Paul Falkowski will discuss how microbes made life on Earth possible—and how human life would cease without them today. By examining the inner workings of these miniature “engines” and the processes by which they are built and assembled—like building blocks— within every creature that walks, swims, or flies, he will reveal how microbes are the great stewards of life on Earth.

    Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage. This event will be livestreamed on the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture Facebook page. Check https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/life%E2%80%99s-engines-how-microbes-made-earth-habitable the day of the program for a direct video link. A recording of this program will be available on our YouTube channel approximately three weeks after the lecture.

    https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/styles/large_body/public/imagefield_crop/field_image/person/paul_g_falkowski_0.png?itok=aK2tJ4XW

  • Tuesday, March 27, 6:00 pm – How Mushrooms Changed the World

    David Hibbett, Professor of Biology, Clark University 2017–2018 Fellow, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, will speak on How Mushrooms Changed the World on Tuesday, March 27 in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, as part of the Harvard Museum of Natural History’s Evolution Matters Lecture Series. Free and open to the public. Free event parking at 52 Oxford Street Garage. Series supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit.

    Fungi receive little attention in mainstream media, but these organisms have an enormous impact on ecosystems and on the production of food and pharmaceuticals. As decomposers, fungi recycle nutrients and are key contributors to the global carbon cycle. David Hibbett will examine the diversity of fungal decay mechanisms and how they have evolved across geologic time. He will also address the controversial hypothesis that fungal evolution contributed to the decline in coal formation at the end of the Carboniferous Period.

    This event will be livestreamed on the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture Facebook page. Check https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/how-mushrooms-changed-world the day of the program for a direct video link. A recording of this program will be available on our YouTube channel approximately three weeks after the lecture.

    https://static.hwpi.harvard.edu/files/styles/os_files_large/public/hmnh/files/how_mushrooms_changed_the_world_david_hibbett.jpg?m=1516308151&itok=TeYvC6RU

  • Thursday, September 14, 6:00 pm – Darwin’s Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory

    James T. Costa, Professor, Department of Biology, Western Carolina University Executive Director, Highlands Biological Station, University of North Carolina, will give a free lecture at Harvard Museum of Natural History’s Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, on Thursday, September 14 at 6 pm, as part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series, supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. Charles Darwin, iconic evolutionary biologist, was a naturalist with a passion for experiments. Sometimes quirky, always illuminating, Darwin’s experiments were an ever-present part of his home life, taking over his house, garden, and greenhouse, as well as surrounding meadows and woodlands, while often involving family, friends, and neighbors as research assistants. James Costa will discuss this inventive side of Darwin, detailed in his new book, Darwin’s Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory. Following the lecture, visit the museum galleries, where Harvard students and museum educators will demonstrate a selection of Darwin’s experiments. Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Thursday, April 20, 6:00 pm – Ocean Evolution Today

    A Harvard Museum of Natural History Panel Discussion on Ocean Evolution Today will take place Thursday, April 20, beginning at 6 pm in the Science Center, Hall D, 1 Oxford Street. Participants will include:

    Samantha B. Joye, Athletic Association Professor in Arts and Sciences, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia

    Bruce H. Robison, Senior Scientist and Midwater Ecologist, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

    Randi Dawn Rotjan, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Boston University Marine Program

    Moderated by Peter R. Girguis, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University; Adjunct Research Engineer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

    Human activities are causing changes in the ocean that could influence the evolution of its organisms. In this panel discussion, three marine scientists with expertise in chemistry, microbiology, geology, marine conservation, and the use of remotely operated vehicles to study deep-sea organisms will discuss the impact of human activity on ocean and coastal ecosystems and answer questions about actions that individuals and organizations can take to support the health of the ocean.

    Presented in collaboration with the Cambridge Science Festival. The Evolution Matters Lecture Series is supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit.  Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.Free and open to the public.

  • Thursday, April 13, 6:00 pm – Symbiosis and the Evolution of Life in the Ocean

    Peter R. Girguis, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, will speak on Thursday, April 13 at 6:00 pm in the Science Center, Hall D, 1 Oxford Street, as part of the Harvard Museum of Natural History’s Evolution Matters Lecture Series, supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. The discovery of microscopic life forms in the seventeenth century led to humankind’s understanding of microbes as the biochemical innovators of our world. Microbes have evolved exotic metabolisms that enable them to live in seemingly inhospitable places, and they inhabit nearly every animal and plant on Earth. Peter Girguis will lead a virtual tour of ocean microbial life and discuss how marine microbes influence the evolution of all life on Earth, even playing a role in the geological and geochemical composition of our planet. Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage. Free and open to the public.

  • Thursday, February 16, 6:00 pm – Symbiosis and the Evolution of Life in the Ocean

    Peter R. Girguis, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, will speak on Symbiosis and the Evolution of Life in the Ocean on Thursday, February 16 at 6 pm at the Harvard Museum of Natural History (place to be determined.)

    The discovery of microscopic life forms in the seventeenth century led to humankind’s understanding of microbes as the biochemical innovators of our world. Microbes have evolved exotic metabolisms that enable them to live in seemingly inhospitable places, and they inhabit nearly every animal and plant on Earth. Peter Girguis will lead a virtual tour of ocean microbial life and discuss how marine microbes influence the evolution of all life on Earth, even playing a role in the geological and geochemical composition of our planet.

    The Evolution Matters Lecture Series is supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage. Free and open to the public. Image from www.schmidtocean.org. For more information visit http://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/symbiosis-and-evolution-life-ocean.

  • Thursday, April 9, 6:00 pm – Evolution in a Vortex: Fish Diversity in the Lower Congo River

    Join the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Thursday, April 9 at 6 pm for another in its Evolution Matters Lecture Series.  Melanie L. J. Stiassny, Axelrod Research Curator of Fishes at the American Museum of Natural History, will speak on Evolution in a Vortex: Fish Diversity in the Lower Congo River.  The talk will take place in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge.

    Some of the most spectacular cataracts, falls, and gorges on Earth are found in the lower Congo River, in the heart of central Africa, near the twin Congolese capitals of Kinshasa and Brazzaville. This stretch of the river is also home to over 300 different species of fish, many with unique adaptations—including bizarre morphologies—that enable them to survive in an environment with intense rapids. Based on her many years collecting, documenting, and studying the fish in the lower Congo River, Melanie Stiassny will discuss the river’s unique hydrological and geographical characteristics and their role in driving the evolution and diversification of its exceptional fish fauna.

    The Evolution Matters Lecture Series is supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit.  Free and open to the public.  Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.