Semester:
Offered:
Javier Ortega- Hernández (Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology)
First-Year Seminar 52L 4 credits (fall term) Enrollment: Limited to 12
The fossil record offers a unique perspective on the history of Life on Earth. Although palaeontology might remind us of grotesque bones, dusty museum cabinets, and quirky scientists who relish both of those things—or God forbid, Ross Geller from Friends—the knowledge derived from the fossil record affects our daily lives in ways that are not immediately apparent. From its natural history origins during the 19th century, paleontology has become a cornerstone of neo-Darwinian evolutionary thought, produced a detailed log of climate change, and sits at the center of a multi-billion-dollar business consumed by millions of people around the world, most likely yourself included. This seminar will explore the rich world of paleontology and its bearing on human activities. You will learn how cutting-edge scientific research informs our understanding of the main processes that have influenced the evolution of Life on Earth for approximately four billion years, including episodes of global warming/cooling and mass extinction events. You will also gain insights into the socioeconomic impact of fossils, ranging from the seamless integration of charismatic extinct animals into culture and entertainment, to ethical and political quandaries resulting from the unregulated exploitation of these natural resources in conflict zones. Finally, we will explore how technological advances blur the lines between science fiction and reality, allowing us to visualize diminutive, fossilized animal-like embryos from 600 million years ago, to the potential (and controversial) applications of gene editing to resuscitate extinct species such as the wooly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger.