Yale's celebration of its 300-year history will continue with a symposium exploring the history of something much, much older -- this planet and the creatures that inhabit it.

Titled "A Remembrance of Times Past: The Development of Earth and Its Life," the symposium will take place Friday and Saturday, Sept. 28 and 29, under the auspices of the Silliman Foundation.

Established in memory of Mrs. Hepsa Ely Silliman, the foundation annually sponsors the Silliman Lectures, which are "designed to illustrate the presence and providence of God as manifested in the natural and moral world." The talks reflect Silliman's belief that "the orderly presentation of the facts of nature or history contributed to this end more effectively than dogmatic or polemical theology."

The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will feature talks by renowned scientists, including a Nobel laureate. The event is divided into two sessions, both of which will be held in Davies Auditorium, Becton Center, 15 Prospect St.

Friday, Sept. 28

Friday's session will take place 2-6 p.m. The topics and speakers will be:

* "From Small Rocks to Big Stars and the Early Universe -- a Study of Cosmochemical Immodesty" by G.J. Wasserburg, the John D. MacArthur Professor of Geology and Geophysics at the California Institute of Technology; and

* "The RNA World and the Origins of Life -- Life Before Yale (Long Before)" by Thomas R. Cech, president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Colorado.

Saturday, Sept. 29

Saturday's session will be held 9 a.m.-6 p.m. The topics and speakers will be:

* "Discovery of Earth's Earliest Fossils -- Solution to Darwin's Dilemma" by J. William Schopf, professor and director of the Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origins of Life at the University of California at Los Angeles;

* "African Origins -- Sole Survivors of a Diverse Past" by Meave G. Leakey, head of the Division of Paleontology of the National Museum of Kenya;

* "Evolving Brains" by John Morgan Allman, the Frank P. Hixon Professor of Neurobiology at the California Institute of Technology; and

* "Genes, Peoples and Languages" by Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, professor emeritus in the Department of Genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Brief bios of the speakers (in the order of their presentations) follow:

G.J. Wasserburg. Wasserburg uses isotopic analysis as a tool in his research on the Earth and the universe beyond. He has studied the early history of the universe and the solar system using extinct radionuclides and has developed a chronology of the early solar system. His broad interests include the evolutionary history of the moon as well as the geochemistry of terrestrial oceans and other aqueous systems. He received the Crafoord Prize, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Thomas R. Cech. Cech has been an active investigator into the enzymatic activity of RNA, for which he received the Nobel Prize (with Yale Professor Sidney Altman) in 1989. Their discovery of the role of RNA as both an information carrier and a catalyst has influenced studies on the origin of life and the treatment of viral infections. A member of the NAS and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cech received the National Medal of Science in 1995.

J. William Schopf. Schopf's general fields of interest include evolutionary biology, organic geochemistry, biochemical evolution, paleobotany, palynology, microbiology, phycology and lunar studies, and comparative planetology. His most recent book, "Cradle of Life," was published in 1999. Schopf is also a member of the NAS and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; his honors include the Charles Schuchert Award of the Paleontological Society and the NAS's Mary Clark Thompson Award.

Meave G. Leakey. Leakey has been in the forefront of discoveries in the origins of hominids. Her research also includes studies in the evolution of monkeys, apes, carnivores and other mammalian fauna. Her recent discovery and description of a new hominid, Kenyanthropus platyops ("flat-faced man of Kenya") radically changed scientists' views on the origins of humans. She is an active promoter of hominid research in the field and laboratory.

John Morgan Allman. Allman has worked on visual systems in primates and has applied his study of neurobiology beyond the optical system to the evolutionary development of the brain and to aging in primates. He received the Outstanding Academic Book award from the American Library Association for his work "Evolving Brains," which first appeared in 1998 and was published in paperback edition in 2000.

Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza. Cavalli-Sforza may be an emeritus professor, but he is still active in research. Using genetic markers, he studies the origin of modern humans, their dispersion and evolutionary history. He has coupled information about genetic diversity to diversity of a cultural nature, including linguistics. His latest book is "Genes, People and Languages" (2000). Cavalli-Sforza is a foreign associate of the NAS, a foreign member of the Royal Society of London and the winner of the 1999 Balzan Prize.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Campus Mourns Tragic Attacks

A Community of Concern

Perspectives from Yale Experts

In the Wake of Tragedy

Yale receives $15 million for human genome research

'Be part of the community' psychiatrist urges in tragedy's wake

IN FOCUS: Mental Health Services

Experts to discuss 'The Development of Earth and Its Life'

Tercentennial exhibit showcases British masterpieces

Early European views of 'Wilde Americk' explored in exhibit

Law School 'runners' hope to beat Harvard to the beach

Yale employees being treated to free football, tailgate party

Conference to examine disparities in health care based on sex, race and income

Peabody invites all interested to volunteer open house

Memorial Services

Campus Notes

Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News|Bulletin Board

Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines

Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases| E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page