Symposium to examine evolution's impact on our world

September 9, 2009

A faculty symposium on "The Year of Darwin" will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, in McCord Auditorium of Dallas Hall on the Southern Methodist University campus.

The symposium is part of SMU's celebration of the 200th birthday of naturalist Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of his seminal book, The Origin of Species.

Participants in the symposium and their topics include:

• Prof. Larry Ruben, organizer and moderator, Department of Biological Sciences, Dedman College.
   
• Professor Ronald Wetherington of the Department of Anthropology in Dedman College speaking on "Evolution and the Problem of Heritability."
   
• Professor Louis Jacobs of the Huffington Department of Earth Sciences in Dedman College speaking on "Amber Lizards and Snakes with Legs: Paleontology at SMU."
   
• Professor John Wise of the Department of Biological Sciences in Dedman College speaking on "Down in the Trenches: Evolution of Gene Families and Effects on Modern Medicine."
   
• Professor Rhonda Blair of the Division of Theatre in Meadows School of the Arts speaking on "Theatre and Cognitive Neuroscience: Science’s Impact on Ideas of the Actor."

Read more about upcoming events for “Darwin’s Evolving Legacy: Celebrating Ideas That Shape Our World.”

Read about DeGolyer Library's exhibit on Charles Darwin, which opens Sept. 14 and continues through Dec. 9, 2009.

Darwin’s theory of evolution is the foundation for all the sciences dealing with organic life and relevant to studying nearly every aspect of the human condition – from contemporary human behavior to genetic diversity in food crops to the treatment of diseases.

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