Science+Café+-+Improbable+Destinies+Professor+Losos

On December 14, from 7:00 - 8:30 pm, I attended a lecture held at the Museum of Natural Sciences at their Science Café presented by Professor Jonathan B. Losos, who is a professor at Harvard University and a Monique and Philip Lehner Professor for the Study of Latin America and Curator in Herpetology. In his presentation, Professor Losos discussed mainly the different types of evolution, while emphasizing the studies of different scientists in the field of evolution, such as Gould, Simon Conway Morris, and Charles Darwin. Losos also related the concepts of convergent evolution, the process by which organisms not closely related independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches, to his own book, //IMPROBABLE DESTINIES: FATE, CHANCE AND THE FUTURE OF EVOLUTION////.//

This relates to what we have done in AP Environmental Science as Professor Losos discussed the need of different populations, over time, to evolve due to the adaptations they have had to made based on the changes occurring in the environment and habitats of these specific populations. Losos also discussed the ecological niches of some evolving populations and how they have made an impact in the organism's ability to evolve, about which we have learned about in class (ecological niches.)