Boston Flora

Tag: Joan Suit

  • 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.

  • 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, 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.

  • Thursday, April 17, 6:00 pm – How Natural Selection Shapes Contemporary Homo Sapiens

    Stephen C. Stearns, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, will speak at the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, at the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Thursday, April 17, beginning at 6 pm, as part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series. Have modern sanitation and medicine stopped human evolution, as some claim? Does the pressure for sexual selection of males constrain the evolution of females, and vice versa? Does having children shorten or extend life? Analyzing the data from the renowned Framingham Heart Study, a long-term study initiated in 1948 that continues to this day, evolutionary biologist Stephen Stearns will explore how natural selection has shaped women’s bodies and physical health, and how reproduction has affected women’s average lifespan.

    The Evolution Matters Lecture Series is supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. Free and open to the public, with free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.  For more information visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

    http://hydro.ijs.si/v00a/76/oz2wzk66um5xk5nojwohbb3ctz27l4pb.jpg

  • Wednesday, February 12, 6:00 pm – Time Travel in Experimental Evolution

    Richard Lenski, Hannah Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University, will speak at the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, as part of the Harvard Museum of Natural History’s Evolution Matters Lecture Series on Wednesday, February 12, beginning at 6 pm. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a common form of intestinal bacteria that reproduces and mutates with incredible speed. This trait, along with scientists’ ability to freeze and revive organisms, makes E. coli an ideal organism for studying the evolutionary process (a form of “time travel”). Microbiologist Richard Lenski has carried out a 25-year study of E. coli, propagating over 50,000 generations, and has discovered new insights into natural selection, adaptation, and genetic evolution.

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

    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Fw6BHk6kmk/Tei5VnW3vpI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/MUFQ2SFSeAs/s1600/e-coli-streptococci.jpg

  • Wednesday, April 10, 6:00 pm – Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live

    From the Stone Age diet plan to Paleo workouts, our culture is rife with pseudo-scientific fads based on a time when we supposedly were more “in sync” with nature. Marlene Zuk, professor of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota, dismantles this nostalgia and argues that evolution yields neither perfection nor a final product. The Wednesday, April 10 lecture is part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series, supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. Free and open to the public. Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free event parking for evening lectures in the 52 Oxford Street garage.