ABSTRACT

Everything in nature is regulated - from the numbers of vital molecules in our bloodstream to the number of lions on an African savanna. Over the past fifty years, two revolutions have unfolded in biology in understanding the regulation of life at these two scales. Dr. Carroll will discuss the discovery of the "The Serengeti Rules," the ecological rules that regulate the numbers and kinds of animals and plants in any given place, and how they are being applied to restore some of the greatest wildernesses on the planet.

About the Speaker:

Sean B. Carroll is an award-winning scientist, writer, educator, and film producer. He is Vice President for Science Education of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the largest private supporter of science education activities in the US, and Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Wisconsin. Sean is the author of five books for general audiences including The Serengeti Rules, Brave Genius, The Making of the Fittest, Endless Forms Most Beautiful and Remarkable Creatures, which was a finalist for the National Book Award for non-fiction. In 2016, Sean received the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science. Sean’s laboratory research has centered on the genes that control animal body patterns and play major roles in the evolution of animal diversity. He has received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Sciences, been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the European Molecular Biology Organization, as well as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The architect of HHMI’s documentary film initiative, Sean has served as executive producer and/or on-screen presenter of more than a dozen films, including Mass Extinction, Amazon Adventure, and The Farthest, and earned two Emmy nominations.