2008 Victor Suchar Christmas Lecture opens BRLSI's
Darwin and Beyond series.
Darwin and Beyond series.
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Tuesday 16th December 2008: The BRLSI's year-long Darwin and Beyond programme got underway in earnest as Professor Brian Charleson FRS of Edinburgh University gave the 2008 Victor Suchar Christmas Lecture, entitled "What Do We Now Know About The Causes Of Evolution?".
Professor Charlesworth gave a full to overflowing Elwin Room an insight into why Darwin stood out among his contemporaries with his description of the broad mechanics of inheritance, and how subsequent advances have led to our understanding of the structure and function of genes. He explained that, although Darwinian theory is seen today as having replaced Lamarck's earlier ideas on the inheritance of acquired characteristics, Darwin actually wavered on the issue, while it was the Austrian monk Gregor Mendel who established the principle of non-blended gene inheritance which forms the basis of genetics.
Considerately sparing his audience "the maths", Prof Charlesworth showed examples of the statistical data used in genetic science, explaining how they are interpreted and what such often-quoted statistics as humans sharing 98% of their genes with chimpanzees actually mean. He ended by demonstrating how much we still have to learn, with a list of Darwinian questions, such as "Why do most plants and animals age?" which are still very much alive today.
The annual BRLSI Christmas Lecture was founded by Victor Suchar, a key figure in the rebirth of the Institution from the 1990s, and named after him following his death in 2007. The Darwin and Beyond programme, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, and the 150th of the publication of On The Origina Of Species, continues throughout 2009, ending on December 11th with the 2009 Victor Suchar Christmas Lecture, when celebrated geneticist Professor Steve Jones will ask "Is Evolution Over?".
Professor Charlesworth gave a full to overflowing Elwin Room an insight into why Darwin stood out among his contemporaries with his description of the broad mechanics of inheritance, and how subsequent advances have led to our understanding of the structure and function of genes. He explained that, although Darwinian theory is seen today as having replaced Lamarck's earlier ideas on the inheritance of acquired characteristics, Darwin actually wavered on the issue, while it was the Austrian monk Gregor Mendel who established the principle of non-
Considerately sparing his audience "the maths", Prof Charlesworth showed examples of the statistical data used in genetic science, explaining how they are interpreted and what such often-
The annual BRLSI Christmas Lecture was founded by Victor Suchar, a key figure in the rebirth of the Institution from the 1990s, and named after him following his death in 2007. The Darwin and Beyond programme, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, and the 150th of the publication of On The Origina Of Species, continues throughout 2009, ending on December 11th with the 2009 Victor Suchar Christmas Lecture, when celebrated geneticist Professor Steve Jones will ask "Is Evolution Over?".
At the BRLSI on 16th December...
Professor Brian Charlesworth FRS speaks on advances in the understanding of evolution since Darwin's time.
