People and pathogens: the evolution of infections

Darwin Day Lecture – online or in-person – February 11th, 2022

Professor Alice Roberts, President of Humanists UK, returns as Chair of the Darwin Day Lecture, welcoming Professor Dame Anne Johnson as 2022 lecturer. Professor Johnson – an esteemed epidemiologist, public health specialist, and President of the Academy of Medical Sciences – will speak on People and pathogens: the evolution of infections.

Never before in modern times have the effects of evolution by natural selection been so plain for all to see, or so keenly felt by so many. And never before have so many set out to understand – and debate! – the rights and wrongs of public health messaging, guidance, and restrictions. In this, Professor Dame Anne Johnson is something of an expert. She cut her teeth in epidemiology in the 1980s – when a poorly understood Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) exploded into the world and devastated millions. For almost 40 years since, she has led a distinguished career investigating how infections spread, and how changes in human behaviour can be brought to bear to reduce human suffering.

The 2022 edition of the Darwin Day Lecture will be a hybrid event, held at Conway Hall in London or viewed online.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://humanists.uk/events/darwinday2022/

Professor Alice Roberts at Theatre Severn in Shrewsbruy this coming April

TV scientist and Humanists UK President giving a talk about her new book, Ancestors

While this isn’t a Humanists event, we thought it would be of interest to our members, or indeed anyone visiting our website.

In addition to being an evolutionary biologist, osteoarchaeologist, author, and broadcaster, Professor Alice Roberts is also President of Humanists UK and the organisation’s most high-profile ambassador.

Professor Alice Roberts will be giving a talk about her new book Ancestors at Theatre Severn in Shrewsbruy on Monday, April 25th, 2022.

Here’s the write-up about the event from the Theatre Severn website:

What can a grave tell us about a person? Did the Neanderthals bury their dead? Why was a man from the Alps buried in Wiltshire, four thousand years ago? How is genetics revolutionising what we know about the deep past? And what does all this mean for us, today?

Professor Alice Roberts takes us on a tour of the most fascinating burials in Britain, with behind-the-scenes insights from digs and filming – and a chance to buy a signed copy of her new book, Ancestors.

“This is a terrific, timely and transporting book – taking us heart, body and mind beyond history, to the fascinating truth of the prehistoric past and the present” – Bettany Hughes

For further details and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.theatresevern.co.uk/shows/talks/prof-alice-roberts/

Additional links:
Professor Alice Roberts’ website
Professor Roberts and the team at Humanists UK