Epigenetics, Evolution and the Human Sciences
Event: WorkshopDate: 18 Dec 2008 09:30
Speaker(s):
Patrick Bateson (University of Cambridge)
Marcello Buiatti (University of Florence)
Fern Elsdon-Baker (British Council and University of Leeds)
Jonathan Mill (King’s College London)
Marcus Pembrey (Institute of Child Health, University College London)
Organised by:
ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum, The University of Edinburgh
Venue:
ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum
The University of Edinburgh
College of Humanities and Social Science
St John's Land
Holyrood Road
Edinburgh EH8 8AQ
Click here for directions
Recent research in epigenetics has led to a revived interest in the interaction between genes and environment, and the consequences of such interaction for how we understand the development and evolution of humans and other organisms. But the implications of this research for the biological and human sciences are still being worked out.
The ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum is hosting an informal one-day workshop bringing together a number of leading biological, human and social scientists to review the current state of the science of epigenetics, and to discuss how this might affect how we think about evolution and the human sciences. The workshop will be organised around short formal presentations, with plenty of time for discussion.
Programme:
09.30 Welcome and introduction
Session 1: Epigenetics and Evolutionary Theory
09.40 Marcello Buiatti (University of Florence), “Epigenetics and evolutionary theory”
10.25 Patrick Bateson (University of Cambridge), “Epigenetics and the origin of species. What are the links?”
11.10 Coffee
11.40 Fern Elsdon-Baker (British Council and University of Leeds), “Contested Inheritance: the historical polysemy of ‘inheritance of acquired characters’”
12.25 Discussion
13.00 - 14.00 Lunch
Session 2: Epigenetics and the Human and Behavioural Sciences
14.00 Marcello Buiatti (University of Florence), “Epigenetics and the human and behavioural sciences”
14.45 Jonathan Mill (King’s College London), “Beyond the genome: the role of epigenetic dysfunction in complex disorders”
15.30 Tea
16.00 Marcus Pembrey (Institute of Child Health, University College London), “The capture of developmental and ancestral experience - implications for cultural transmission”
16.45 Discussion
17.30 Close
Further details:
Dr Steve Sturdy, Deputy Director, ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum
Email: s.sturdy@ed.ac.uk
Tel.: (44) 0131 651 4741
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