Evolution Tomorrow and Beyond - Robin May

Evolution has led from amoebae to blue whales and from algae to giant redwoods. So what might it do in the future? What species might evolve in the next ten million years? How will evolutionary processes change as a result of human innovation and what are the risks of us getting it disastrously wrong? What might evolution look like if we ever set up home on another planet, or if inhabitants of other planets arrive here? Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 02:02 - How Evolution Works 05:27 - Climate Change 08:05 - How we've accidentally impacted animal evolution 13:05 - How Pandemics shaped human evolution 19:06 - Bacterial resistance to antibiotics 21:24 - Future pandemics 23:39 - Survival through better immune systems 26:18 - Survival through being antisocial 28:35 - Survival through being violent 32:23 - Gene editing to prevent disease 39:17 - Cosmetic gene editing in utero 41:20 - Does musical genius come from genes? 43:52 - Human evolution beyond Earth 46:41 - Conclusion 47:28 - Q&A Session This lecture was recorded by Robin May on 8th May 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London Robin is Gresham Professor of Physic. He is also Chief Scientific Adviser at the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Professor of Infectious Disease at the University of Birmingham. The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/evolution-future Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/ Website: https://gresham.ac.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/greshamcollege Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege