Event
Building, Exploring, and Using the Tree of Life
Mar 6, 2019
|
Cambridge, MA
All microbes, fungi, plants, and animals are connected through an immense network of relationships that Darwin referred to as the Tree of Life. Until recently, the genealogical interconnections of Earth's 2.3 million named species defied visualization.
For decades, scientists Douglas E. and Pamela S. Soltis have been collaborating with scientists worldwide to build the Tree of Life. This project has harnessed algorithm development, computer power, and DNA sequencing to create a comprehensive visual Tree of Life.
At this talk they shared challenges and breakthroughs of this undertaking and how the Tree of Life can be used to illustrate, instruct, and inspire the public about biodiversity.
Featuring
Speaker
Pamela S. Soltis
Distinguished Professor and Curator of the Florida Museum of Natural History
University of Florida
Academy Member
Introductions
Scott Vernon Edwards
Alexander Agassiz Professor of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology; Curator of Ornithology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology
Harvard University
Academy Member
Videos
Introductions
Scott Vernon Edwards
Harvard University
The Tree of Life
Douglas and Pamela Soltis
University of Florida
Q&A