WINNIPEG, MB – Biology students at The University of Winnipeg will put the process of natural selection to the test next week when they challenge their professors to an evolutionary competition, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species. The evolutionary competition will consist of three trials to test the contestants’ ability to increase their fitness. Trial 1 will determine contestants’ foraging efficiency, trial 2 will involve one-legged elbow wrestling, and trial 3 involves performing a non-human courtship dance. Students and faculty are also encouraged to imitate the Father of Evolution by dressing up like Darwin for a costume contest.
UWinnipeg will also host two public lectures providing context to Darwin’s contributions. Dr. James Hanley will focus on the 60 years before Darwin published his Origin of Species which witnessed the discovery of a large number of fossil forms. Although Darwin is often identified as the discoverer of evolution, this presentation will show that many thinkers had come to the conclusion that life had a history, and that natural mechanisms could be developed to explain it.
Dr. Scott Forbes will explore how Darwinism contributes to the understanding of conflict and cooperation among close kin. It will also explore how Darwin’s family shaped his work profoundly. His interest in plant inbreeding was inspired by a history of intermarriage between the Darwins and Wedgwoods that included his own marriage to his cousin Emma.
DARWIN DAY ACTIVITIES: Darwin Day events are free and everyone is welcome.
12:30 – 1:20
Darwin Costume Contest and Evolutionary Competition
Manitoba Hall, 4th floor – Theatre A
2:30 – Public Lecture
Darwin’s Context: The History of Life before the Origin of Species
Dr. James Hanley, History Department
Convocation Hall
3:30 – Public Lecture
Darwin and the Family
Dr. Scott Forbes, Biology Department
Convocation Hall
For more information about the Darwin Costume Contest or to participate in the Evolutionary Competition please contact Kristin Jonasson at 786-9980 or k.jonasson-ra@uwinnipeg.ca.
