ABOUT
In 1831, Charles Darwin was invited to join the HMS Beagle as the ship's naturalist for a trip around the world. For the next five years, the Beagle surveyed the coast of South America, while Darwin explored the continent and islands. He filled dozens of notebooks with observations on animals and plants and collected thousands of specimens for further study. Darwin’s experiences during his five-year journey aboard the HMS Beagle led him to develop a theory that would transform our understanding of life on earth. In this talk, we will consider what Darwin actually observed, how his journey influenced the development of his theory of evolution by natural selection, and how our understanding of evolution has changed since his lifetime.
Scott Solomon teaches ecology, evolutionary biology, and scientific communication as an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Biosciences at Rice University. He has a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Texas at Austin where his research examined the evolutionary basis of biological diversity in the Amazon Basin. Dr. Solomon often speaks and writes about science at schools, museums, churches, science cafés, TEDx events and other venues and has appeared on radio and television. He is the author of Future Humans: Inside the Science of Our Continuing Evolution (Yale University Press) and a lecture series called “What Darwin Didn't Know: The Modern Science of Evolution” available through The Great Courses and Audible.com.