From RNA to Humans: A symposium on evolution

By PvM

The Rockefeller University presents a two day symposium on “From RNA to Humans”

With videos of all the lectures

Session 1: Archaean Chemistry and Earliest Fossils

  • The RNA World and the Molecular Origins of Life Gerald F. Joyce, The Scripps Research Institute
  • The Origins of Cellular Life Jack W. Szostak, Harvard Medical School
  • Can the Distribution of Protein Domains Shed Light on the Tree of Life Russell F. Doolittle, University of California, San Diego
  • The Earliest Life on Earth Roger Buick, University of Washington
  • Proterozoic Life and Environments Andrew H. Knoll, Harvard University

Session 2: Cells, Cellular Evolution and Protein History

  • The Tree of Life and Major Transitions in Cell Evolution Thomas Cavalier-Smith, University of Oxford
  • The Origin of Eukaryotes Eugene V. Koonin, National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health
  • Barking up the Wrong Tree: The Dangers of Reification in Molecular Phylogenetics and Systematics W. Ford Doolittle, Dalhousie University
  • RNA Interference May Provide a Window on the RNA-to-DNA World Transition Phillip A. Sharp, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Evening Lecture, 6 – 7 p.m.

Feeding and Gloating for More: The Challenge of the New Creationism Jerry A. Coyne, The University of Chicago

Session 3: Development of Eukaryotic Genetic Capacity and Multicellularity

  • The Deep Evolutionary History of Eukaryotes Andrew Roger, Dalhousie University
  • Demonstrating the Sufficiency of Microevolutionary Processes David Penny, Massey University
  • Genes and Development: A Comparison of Human and Amphioxus Genomes Peter W.H. Holland, University of Oxford
  • Cnidaria and the Evolution of the Bilaterian Body Plans: Insights from an Outgroup Ulrich Technau, University of Vienna

Session 4: Human Evolution through the Lens of DNA Sequences

  • Evolution of Human Populations L. Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Accelerated Evolution in the Human Genome Katherine S. Pollard, University of California, Davis
  • Probing Human Brain Evolution at the Genetic Level Bruce T. Lahn, The University of Chicago
  • A Neanderthal Perspective on Human Origins Fairfield Osborn Memorial Lecture , Svante Pääbo, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology