LUCA to Present: The Evolution of Life on Earth

The magnificent biodiversity existing on Planet Earth has evolved over 4 billion years of geologic time.

This seminar traces the developmental changes in living organisms, from the recently pursued LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor) to the complex life forms inhabiting today's terrestrial and aquatic environments. We will take a brief look at the history of evolutionary thought from Darwin, Lamarck, Wallace and Malthus to present-day theorists. A visual presentation also will explore the evidence for evolution, from the 19th century ideas of natural selection, "survival of the fittest" and Mendelian genetics to 20th century Watson and Crick DNA revelations and the most recent modern synthesis approaches rooted in molecular biology, chromosome mapping and mathematical models.

Michael Bernarsky holds degrees in biology and environmental science. During his 40+ years as an educator, he has developed and instructed biology and ecology courses at the secondary education, community college and university levels. While serving as an adjunct professor for 25 years at Penn State University, he created and instructed a series of graduate-level biology/ecology summer travel courses: Appalachian Mountain Ecology, New Jersey Pine Barrens, Chesapeake Bay Ecology, Atlantic Boreal Coast Ecology (Bay of Fundy), Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest Ecosystems and the Natural History of the Hawaiian Island Archipelago. Since moving to Newport, he has been engaged in tide pool monitoring as it relates to climate change.