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Lecture on ´Evolution and Intelligent Design´ April 20
April 12, 2006
For immediate release - April 12, 2006 Contact: Nina Lentini (860) 439-2505; nina.lentini@conncoll.edu
Connecticut College professor to lecture on 'Evolution and Intelligent Design' on April 20
NEW LONDON, Conn. - Phillip Barnes, associate professor of biology at Connecticut College, will explore the nature of science by contrasting evolutionary biology with intelligent design in a free and public lecture on Thursday, April 20, at 4:30 p.m. in Room 014 of the F.W. Olin Science Center.
His talk, "Evolution and Intelligent Design," will include a discussion of the predictive power of the science of evolution "and its relevance for setting public policy in the potential avian flu epidemic, while intelligent design provides no relevant predictions or information for public policy," Barnes said. Time for questions and discussion will follow.
Barnes, who joined the college in 1985, specializes in genetics and the evolution of complex quantitative traits, such as flight in insects. Such traits involve multiple morphological and physiological components of the organism. He is particularly interested in the interaction between genotype and environment in determining the individual's adaptation to the environment in which it is reared, its ability to acclimate to new environments and the evolutionary consequences of such genotype-by-environment interaction for a population.
Most recently, Barnes has begun a study of gene mutants that cause flightlessness in the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, by physically mapping each gene to a particular region of a chromosome and then examining the DNA sequences for potential genes and their functions. Over his career at the college, Barnes has mentored more than 50 undergraduate student research projects, many of which have contributed new scientific information to the study of genetics and evolution of insect flight.
Ranked among the most selective private liberal arts colleges in the nation, Connecticut College enrolls 1,900 men and women from 42 states and 41 countries. The college is known for putting the liberal arts into action through interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. Founded in 1911, the college operates under an 84-year-old honor code. The college is located at 270 Mohegan Ave, New London, about two hours by car from Boston and New York. The 750-acre campus is an arboretum overlooking Long Island Sound. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.
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Editors, please note: We now offer RSS feeds for your convenience. Go to www.conncoll.edu and click on the orange RSS link to subscribe. For complete information on public events taking place at Connecticut College, go to http://calendar.conncoll.edu. Editor: A photo of Barnes, who lives in Jewett City, is available at www.conncoll.edu. Click on "Media" and "Download Images."
For media inquiries contact: Amy Martin (860) 439-2526; a.martin@conncoll.edu