If humans evolved from monkeys, why are monkeys still around? How could something as complicated as the eye have evolved? More than 160 years ago, Darwin and Wallace discovered natural selection as the mechanism of evolutionary adaption. Since that time, evolution has become the central unifying theory of biology with applications in agriculture, genetics, medicine and psychology. Yet, there are still misunderstandings about the theory.
Dr. Farhad Dastur, a psychology instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), will discuss 10 myths and misconceptions about evolution at the next KPU – Science World Speaker Series.
“As a scientist, I have an intense curiosity about the natural world. As an educator, I have an equally intense desire to share theories, findings, and insights about the world,” he says.
“The theory of natural selection is a powerful way of explaining how life forms have become evolutionarily adapted to their environments, in sometimes startling ways. However, many misconceptions exist about this theory and it is those misconceptions that I would like to explore and explain.”
Dastur says his talk is meant to help people think more accurately and deeply about evolutionary questions. He says such questions are important because, to some extent, they concern where we as a species came from, why we are the way we are and the ways in which all life forms adapt to changing environments.
Moths, Monkeys and Missing Links: Ten Myths about Evolution takes place at Science World on Wednesday, May 29. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the presentation starts at 7 p.m. This is a free event. For more information about the KPU – Science World Speaker Series, visit kpu.ca/scienceworld.