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

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