The Evolution of Imperfection Laurence Hurst

Event details

If we start with the presumption that evolution is a constantly improving process, some aspects of our evolution just do not make sense. We have a high rate of genetic diseases, for example, and much of our DNA seems to be pointless.

Join Laurence Hurst, author of The Evolution of Imperfection, as he explores our apparently rotten genetic luck. Laurence, a leading authority on evolution and genetics from the University of Bath, will argue that our evolutionary imperfections proceed directly from two features: the difficulties of pregnancy and the fact that historically there are relatively few of us. In pregnancy, natural selection can favour chromosomes that kill embryos in species (including ours) that continuously receive resources from the mother. Most fertilised eggs don’t make it, and incompatibilities between the foetus and mother can lead to lethal disorders of pregnancy. The historically small population size enhances the role of chance, which in turn leads to both accumulation of unnecessary DNA and more mutation.

So what can save us? One answer may lie in genetic medicine, which has given us therapies that make killer conditions preventable and even curable. Laurence will suggest that our seeming imperfections could be the key to a new way to understand evolution itself. Looking at circumstances that seem to defy explanation, we might come to a richer understanding of how evolution really works and what it means to be human.

This event will take place live on Zoom Webinar. You will receive a link to join a couple of days before the event and a reminder an hour before. During the event, you can ask questions via a Q&A function, but audience cameras and microphones will remain muted throughout.

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You can buy copies of many of our speakers’ books from Fox Lane Books, a local independent bookseller and Festival partner. In some cases, author signed bookplates are available too. 

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