July 7, 6:15 pm
From evolution to capitalism, ‘survival of the fittest’ has shaped our view of the world. But we got it wrong – and our mistake has brought us to the brink.
Evolutionary biologist and New Scientist podcast host Rowan Hooper joins Conduit Member Sean McCormack to reveal how the history of life on Earth is much more than a story of competition. The natural world has been forged and sustained by small miracles of co-operation between animals and plants, insects and fungi, fish and bacteria.
From the female wasp venturing deep inside a fig and the intricate relationship between corals and the algae that sustain them, to the symbiotic gut microbes that influence our moods – these partnerships are ubiquitous, lifelong, and are an essential guide for a better future.
Through bizarre and beautiful stories of symbiosis, Rowan will challenge the long-held belief that humans are innately selfish and competitive, and demonstrate how co-operation is fundamental to life itself.
Join us to change the way you see the world, our place in it, and our obligation to its hidden wonders.
Event Schedule
6:15pm: Pre-event socialising and networking
A cash bar will be available for refreshments.
6:30pm: Event begins
7:45pm: Event ends
Rowan Hooper is podcast editor at New Scientist and host of the New Scientist Weekly podcast. He has been at New Scientist for over 15 years, covering all aspects of science. He has a PhD in evolutionary biology and worked in a conservation biology lab in Japan for five years, before joining the Japan Times in Tokyo and later taking up a fellowship in a physics lab at Trinity College Dublin. His work has also appeared in the Economist, the Guardian, Wired, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.
Dr Sean McCormack BSc (Hons), MVB, MRCVS is a qualified vet with an undergraduate degree in Animal Science. A passionate lifelong naturalist, he tailored his veterinary studies and later career in zoo and wildlife medicine as well as treating domestic and exotic pets. Sean has always been a prominent animal welfare advocate, with a long history of campaigning for improvement of pedigree dog welfare. Sean is also an experienced wildlife conservationist. He’s a published author and vet columnist, hosts his own wildlife podcast and YouTube channel as well as running the growing conservation organisation Ealing Wildlife Group. He is the project lead and license holder on the Ealing Beaver Project, a publicly accessible scheme that has reintroduced Eurasian Beavers back to urban London in a flagship rewilding project for the capital.
Please note that this event will be recorded and photographed. By attending this event, you consent to being photographed, filmed and recorded (“Recordings”). You further consent to The Conduit, and its assigns’ use of your name and your appearance and voice as captured by these Recordings, in any and all media, worldwide, for any purpose in connection with this event, including promotion of this event.
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