Sunday 8th February
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Melbourne
4pm 8 February 2009
This lecture will summarise Darwin’s experiences in Australia through the eyes of his field notes and diary, illustrated with beautiful contemporary Australian paintings by two of Australia’s most famous early artists, Augustus Earle and Conrad Martens, both of whom had been Darwin’s Beagle shipmates earlier in the voyage.
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Melbourne
Public Forum: Big Bang to Big Bust! – Evolution from Start to Finish
6pm Sunday 8 February 2009
Bernie Hobbs (of The New Inventors, ABC TV) will interview three extraordinary scientists who will take us on a journey from the origins of the universe in the big bang, through the evolution of life on earth into the future with climate change |
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Monday 9th February
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Melbourne
6pm February 9, 2009
DNA sequence data can be used to illustrate the evolutionary history of modern humans over the past 100,000 years, the biological relevance of race, and how natural selection might have acted to produce today's patterns of worldwide genomic variation.
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Melbourne
6pm, 9th February, 2009
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution had significant and productive implications for artists and the arts in Australia. This panel seeks to explore the impact of Darwin on the arts in Melbourne and Hobart by considering artists whose work embodies the influence of Darwinian ideas. |
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Melbourne
Public Lecture: Darwin’s Ventriloquists
7pm Monday February 9
The biggest challenge to contemporary evolutionary theory comes not from creationists, but from biologists themselves. Evolutionary theory has, in different eras, been recruited into a diverse group of anti-egalitarian scientific discourses, such as social Darwinism, eugenics, and evolutionary psychology. What we learn from the social study of evolutionary theory? |
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Melbourne
Public Lecture: Is Human Evolution Over?
8pm 9 February, 2009
Leading evolutionary biologist and science communicator, Professor Steve Jones, argues that ‘the raw materials for evolution have largely disappeared’ in the world in which we now live.
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Tuesday 10th February
Melbourne
Public lecture: What Can Dogs Teach Us About Evolution?
6pm 10 February, 2009
Charles Darwin used the breeding of domestic animals, such as dogs, pigeons, and horses, to introduce his theory of evolution. In a lively public lecture Bill Ballard and Taz will lead us in Darwin’s footsteps.
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Melbourne
6pm Tuesday 10 February, 2009
In this event Michael Ruse compares the theory of Charles Darwin in his Origin of Species, published 150 years ago in 1859, with the modern theory of evolution, the theory of 2009. He explores those parts of Darwin’s thinking that persist to this day and those that have been changed or discarded.
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Melbourne
10 February, 2009
Visiting Australian in 1836, Charles Darwin saw little hope for the Australian people. How wrong he was soon proved to be. Australia, despite its convict beginnings, was one of the most law-abiding societies in the world by the end of the nineteenth century.
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Melbourne
Public Forum: Responding to Global Climate Change
7.30pm Tuesday 10 February 2009
An expert panel lead by Australian of the Year, Tim Flannery, will briefly describe the evidence for climate change, its current and future impact and the things that individual citizens can do to make a difference. An open discussion will follow, so bring your questions |
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Wednesday 11th February
Melbourne
Public Forum: Dinosaurs & the Hobbit
5pm Wednesday 11 February 2009
Come along and meet Robert Bakker, one of the world’s leading dinosaur experts and Bert Roberts who was involved in the discovery and dating of the ‘Hobbit’, a new species of tiny human found on the eastern Indonesian island of Flores. |
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Melbourne
6pm Wednesday 11 February, 2009
Evolution explains why the body works so well. The eye is the classic example, but one should equally appreciate heart valves that open and close 2,500,000,000 times without leaking. But evolution also can help us to understand why the body is not better.
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Melbourne
7pm Wednesday 11 February, 2009
The global economic and environmental crises show that conspicuous consumption is a key problem in the 21st century. The new science of evolutionary psychology offers some unique insights into the origins and nature of runaway consumerism.
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8pm, 11 February, 2009
Music is generally held to be a universal attribute of humans but what, if any, evolutionary significance did it have? Why do we have this communication system side-by-side with language? Is music still relevant to the welfare of our species today?
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Location Map
The Melbourne Convention Centre is located on the corner of Flinders and Spencer Streets. The Melbourne Convention Centre is a short walk from Southern Cross Station or you can take tram numbers 96, 109 or 112. Click here for a printable map.
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