Speaker Series
The Fastest Evolving Regions of the Human Genome
The Houston Museum of Natural Science 5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX, United StatesAlthough a child can tell the difference between a chimp and a man, identifying the specific DNA mutations that make us human is one of the greatest challenges of biology. The genomic sequence is approximately 3 billion letters long, with millions of mutations and rearrangements specific to humans. Using computational algorithms to compare our DNA … Continued
The Fastest Evolving Regions of the Human Genome
The Houston Museum of Natural Science 5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX, United StatesAlthough a child can tell the difference between a chimp and a man, identifying the specific DNA mutations that make us human is one of the greatest challenges of biology. The genomic sequence is approximately 3 billion letters long, with millions of mutations and rearrangements specific to humans. Using computational algorithms to compare our DNA … Continued
Cooking for Calories: Food Processing and the Shape of Human Energy Gain
California Academy of Sciences 55 Music Concourse Dr 94118, San Francisco, CA, United StatesAll human cultures process food extensively by cooking and non-thermal means, a feature that makes us unique among species. Why is food processing so universal? When did it begin? And why might it threaten our health today? In this lecture, Rachel Carmody presents evidence from diverse fields, showing that food processing increases the calories we … Continued
Cooking for Calories: Food Processing and the Shape of Human Energy Gain
California Academy of Sciences 55 Music Concourse Dr 94118, San Francisco, CA, United StatesAll human cultures process food extensively by cooking and non-thermal means, a feature that makes us unique among species. Why is food processing so universal? When did it begin? And why might it threaten our health today? In this lecture, Rachel Carmody presents evidence from diverse fields, showing that food processing increases the calories we … Continued
Beyond Creation and Evolution: Human Origins Studies in a Secular, Media-Saturated World
Milpitas Public Library 160 North Main Street, Milpitas, CA, United StatesReligion and science battled through the Renaissance and Age of Reason. In this struggle, science overcame, and the discovery of evolution by means of natural selection and speciation (nicely coincident with the discovery of the human fossil record) has been cast as the long-sought, final proof of a naturalistic human essence.
Beyond Creation and Evolution: Human Origins Studies in a Secular, Media-Saturated World
Milpitas Public Library 160 North Main Street, Milpitas, CA, United StatesReligion and science battled through the Renaissance and Age of Reason. In this struggle, science overcame, and the discovery of evolution by means of natural selection and speciation (nicely coincident with the discovery of the human fossil record) has been cast as the long-sought, final proof of a naturalistic human essence.
Tracking a Killer: The Origin and Evolution of Tuberculosis
The Houston Museum of Natural Science 5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX, United StatesIn 2014, Tuberculosis (TB) surpassed HIV as the leading cause of death from infectious disease. Unlike HIV, TB has long been a scourge of humans; however, exactly how long has been debated. Also controversial has been the presence and relationship of pre-Columbian tuberculosis in the Americas to TB strains in the rest of the World. … Continued
Tracking a Killer: The Origin and Evolution of Tuberculosis
The Houston Museum of Natural Science 5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX, United StatesIn 2014, Tuberculosis (TB) surpassed HIV as the leading cause of death from infectious disease. Unlike HIV, TB has long been a scourge of humans; however, exactly how long has been debated. Also controversial has been the presence and relationship of pre-Columbian tuberculosis in the Americas to TB strains in the rest of the World. … Continued
How “Paleo” is Your Diet?
American Museum of Natural History 56 West 81st St., New York, NY, United StatesJoin molecular anthropologist Christina Warinner as she explores how scientists are reconstructing the ancestral human microbiome to better understand the lives and health of our ancestors and whether the popular “paleo” diet has any relation to real human history.
How “Paleo” is Your Diet?
American Museum of Natural History 56 West 81st St., New York, NY, United StatesJoin molecular anthropologist Christina Warinner as she explores how scientists are reconstructing the ancestral human microbiome to better understand the lives and health of our ancestors and whether the popular “paleo” diet has any relation to real human history.
The Curious Case of Homo naledi
California Academy of Sciences 55 Music Concourse Dr 94118, San Francisco, CA, United StatesJoin Dr. William Harcourt-Smith as he explores Homo naledi, the early human relative recently discovered deep within Rising Star cave in South Africa. This find, consisting of over 1500 fossil fragments, is arguably one of the most significant fossil discoveries of the last half-century, and Harcourt-Smith led one of the first teams to examine the fossils.