Darwin Day Potluck & Dr. Mark Reimers on "The Evolution of the Human Mind"

We will start with a potluck dinner to be followed by a talk by Dr. Mark Reimers, the leader of the Humanist group at First UU of Richmond on "The Evolution of the Human Mind."  Our human mind and consciousness has evolved from an ape mind over the past six million years. How have our brains, and genes, changed to bring this about? We are very similar to apes in some ways, in which scientists previously thought humans were unique, but quite different in other ways, which scientists had not realized were so important. This talk will present genetic, anatomical, and behavioral evidence bearing on the changes to the brain that supported the emergence of the human mind and its capacity for culture.

Dr. Reimers is a "humanist, scientist, and mathematician". Dr. Mark Reimers obtained his PhD in mathematics from the University of BC in Canada, and does research at the interface of statistics, computing, and neurobiology. He has worked at the National Institutes of Health, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric Genetics in Richmond. His research work currently focuses on analyzing and interpreting the very large data sets now coming out of neuroscience and genomics. He directed the data analysis for the comprehensive study of human brain development by the BrainSpan project published in Nature Oct 27 2011.

For the potluck dinner, please bring something to share. Suggestions: casseroles with a card explaining ingredients, rice, potatoes, vegetable dishes, bread, fruit or dessert. Each dish should have enough for 8 - 10 people. Bring whatever YOU would like to drink.

All are welcome!