People have long recognized that organisms - animals, plants, fungi etc - fall into natural groups, and much progress had already been made on classifying organisms in nested series of such groups by the early 19th century. Thus, mammals form a distinct group of backboned animals that suckle their young, and they in turn can be sub-divided into groupings such as carnivores, including cats, dogs and bears, or primates, incorporating lemurs, monkeys and apes (including ourselves). But scientific understanding of why such natural affinities existed had to await the publication of Charles Darwin's ground-breaking book ‘On the origin of species...', in 1859. Darwin showed how evolution by natural selection led to divergence of species from common ancestors, giving rise over time to a grand ‘family tree' of life - its branches forming the groups recognized through classification. Since then, many kinds of evidence, but especially comparisons of DNA from different species, have confirmed the general theory, although they have also thrown up some fascinating surprises concerning evolutionary relationships, including an entangled early history of life.
This talk is part of the "How Did we get Here?" day which has changed date and move to University Centre on Silbury Boulevard. How Did we get Here? will run from 11am-3pm. This talk will take place at 12noon.
Date: 24/10/2009
Location: University Centre Milton Keynes, 200 Silbury Boulevard, MK9 1LT
Admission: FREE
Places Remaining: 20
