Richard Dawkins – DNA and the evolution of life

The creator of the word ‘meme’ and of the hugely influential ‘selfish gene’ model of evolution, Richard Dawkins is the epitome of the truly public intellectual – a scientist whose ideas have proven extraordinarily influential both within his own discipline and far beyond.

He returns to How To Academy to explore a groundbreaking new approach to the evolution of all life, revealing how the body, behaviour and genes of every living creature is an archive of the worlds of its ancestors.

The fine chisels of Darwinian natural selection carve their way through the very warp and woof of the body, into every biochemical nook and corner, into every cell of every living creature. A zoologist of the future, presented with a hitherto-unknown animal, will be able to reconstruct the worlds that shaped its ancestors, to read its unique ‘book of the dead’.

Richard will share fascinating examples of the power of Darwinian natural selection to build exquisite perfection, paradoxically accompanied by what look like gross blunders. Along the way, he will dismantle influential criticisms of the ‘gene’s eye view’ of life.

And, to end with a provocative sting in the tail, he will ask if there is a sense in which all our ‘own’ genes can be seen as a gigantic colony of cooperating viruses?

Booking information

To book tickets, please visit the How To Academy.

This event has not been organised by the Society. If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking please contact the event organiser, How To Academy, via contact@howtoacademy.com

Accessibility at our events

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• Step-free access to the event
• Accessible toilets
• Assistance dogs are welcome
• Hearing loop

For full details, please visit our accessibility page. If you have any questions or specific access requirements, feel free to get in touch with us on access@rgs.org