|
 Keynote
Discussion video, audio and photos now
available: click
here.
The video is available as a torrent for download. To download, you will need Azureus, BitTorrent,
or similar.
"The
Daily Telegraph" article
by Steve Jones about GECCO Keynote Discussion: click
here
New
Scientist reporter Paul Marks has written an article about
the Keynote: click here
Keynote
Event: Public
Debate on Complexity and Evolution
with
Richard Dawkins, Lewis Wolpert
and Steve Jones
Natural History
Museum |
Monday
evening, 9 July 2007, Central Hall, Natural History
Museum.
The Debate is supported by
THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM www.nhm.ac.uk
HONDA
RESEARCH INSTITUTE EUROPE 
We are pleased to announce that Professors Richard Dawkins, Steve Jones
and Lewis Wolpert will take part in a public debate, discussing the
emergence of complexity
in evolution. |
Debate Format
The debate will follow the format of the popular
BBC television show " Question
Time". Every member of the audience will be asked to write down their
questions relating to evolution and complexity in advance. A selection
of representative questions will then be chosen, and during the debate
the authors of each one
will be invited to stand up and put their question to the panel. The audience
will also be given an opportunity to respond to the discussion to help
stimulate an even more lively debate.
Each GECCO delegate will be able to provide their question using the on-line
registration system (and they may modify it at any time later).
We are hoping to explore some of the
important and meaningful questions to do with evolution.
The choice is up to you, but examples of interesting
questions might be:
"Are humans still evolving, and
if so is the selection pressure caused more by cultural
or monetary factors than disease or predation?",
or " Do you believe horizontal gene transfer
has affected the course of evolution as much as vertical
gene transfer?" or, " Did the evolution
of complex life require development, or did development
require the evolution of complex life?" or, " Do
you believe we will ever evolve something with a
computer that could be called alive?" Everyone
is encouraged to think carefully of their own question,
which should be a single sentence, not a speech.
We prefer not to have questions relating to religion.
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The interior of the Natural
History Museum. The debate will take place here.
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Our three speakers are extremely well-known
in their fields. Richard
Dawkins is famous for his work in evolutionary biology
and his
best-selling books such as "The Selfish Gene", "The
Blind Watchmaker"
and "River Out of Eden". Steve Jones is well-known
for his work in
genetics, and his best-selling books which include, "Almost
Like a
Whale", "Y: the Descent of Man" and "The
Language of the Genes". Lewis
Wolpert is a pioneer in the field of developmental biology
and known for
his books "Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast:
The Evolutionary
Origins of Belief" and "Principles of Development."
This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear
and interact with
some of the most famous names in evolutionary biology.
Tickets
Each GECCO registered attendee will receive one ticket
with their
registration packet. Additional tickets up to the maximum
capacity of
the venue may be available for sale. The conference registration
desk
will have a waiting list for available tickets. Individuals
must sign
up for the waiting list in person. Available tickets, if
there are any,
will be sold in the order of the list, during the lunch
period on
Monday, July 9. No tickets will be sold after the lunch
period. The
conference registration desk will be located in the South
Cloisters at
the UCL Gower Street Campus.
Venue
The Central Hall at the world-famous Natural History Museum
will be a stunning backdrop for our Keynote Debate: soaring
arches, a dramatic staircase, frescoes, sculptures, and
a cast of a Diplodocus dinosaur.
Please visit the Museum before the debate
(entry is free!). GECCO sessions will end early on Monday
to allow you time
to enjoy the Museum and have dinner before the debate.
Visit www.nhm.ac.uk for
more information.
Directions
Here are directions from the UCL meeting rooms to the
Natural History Museum
For interactive details and maps of how to reach the museum
from UCL, click here: www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/getting-here/index.html
The
London Underground ("the tube")
Tickets: You must buy a ticket before
you travel - the fastest method is to bring plenty
of change and use a ticket
machine at the station. Purchase either an off-peak travel
card (cheapest), or a zone 1 return, cost is between £5
and £8.
Directions:
Walk to Russell Square underground station,
Get the Picadilly
Line train towards Ruislip / Heathrow / Uxbridge / Rayners
Lane
Get off at South Kensington station.
When you exit
the ticket gates, immediately turn right and walk along
the pedestrian subway, past the buskers playing music,
and follow the signs to the Natural History Museum.
Allow
30 minutes for the journey.
OR (shorter walk, harder trains):
Walk to Warren Street station, take the Victoria Line
towards Brixton.
Get off at Victoria and change to a Circle
or District Line train towards High St Kensington / Ealing
Broadway / Wimbledon / Richmond.
Get off at South Kensington
station.
When you exit the ticket gates, immediately turn
right and walk along the pedestrian subway, past the buskers
playing music, and follow the signs to the Natural History
Museum.
Allow 40 minutes for the journey.
Taxi
You will be able to flag a taxi on
Gower Street. London taxis are distinctive-looking "Black
cabs." Fare
costs between £10 and £20 depending on the
traffic; it is traditional to tip the driver an extra
pound or two on top of the fare. www.london-taxi.co.uk/taxi/londontariff.htm. Allow
30 minutes for the journey - traffic may be bad.
Bus
Tickets: You must buy a ticket before
boarding the bus. Take plenty of change and use the
machine at the bus stop.
Buy a 1 day bus pass, cost around £3.50 The pass
will be valid for your return journey as well.
Directions:
There are bus stops on Warren Street, outside Warren Street
Underground station. Take bus number 14 (Warren Street
to South Kensington). http://uk.geocities.com/busroutes/ Follow the signs to the Natural History Museum. Allow 35
minutes for the journey.
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GECCO "Job Shop"
GECCO will
host a special Monday lunchtime session for participants
looking for positions in academia or in industry, and for
employers looking to hire. Bring copies of your resume,
publications, and job descriptions and show up for brief
1-on-1 meetings on the 6th floor Malet Place (room 6.12a
and 6.25) on Monday 12:30pm-2pm. No advance scheduling
required.
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