Understanding evolution: Michael Gillings at TEDxMacquarieUniversity

[LongTomH]

Michael Gillings is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University. He has research interests that broadly include the mechanisms that generate and maintain genetic diversity, and how such diversity can be used to understand population structure, dispersal and evolution. Current research spans all living things, from bacteria to fungi, to plants, fish and mammals. A major program examines the evolution of mobile DNA in bacteria, with an emphasis on the origins and spread of antibiotic resistance in pathogens. In an offshoot of this research, he is investigating the consequences of DNA pollution and its potential effects on the natural environment. He teaches Human Biology to a class of over 900 undergraduates each year and is consistently voted amongst the top 5 University Lecturers in Australia. Teaching a diverse cohort of students with different backgrounds and interests has led to an abiding enthusiasm for making connections between the Humanities and Sciences, resulting in a fusion of Art, Music, Literature, History and Biology in his teaching material.

There are a number of TEDx videos on evolution on YouTube, all can provide ammo in debates with creationists.

[Beartracks]

1. Creationists' positions depend on NOT understanding evolution.

Bonus: If pressed, they can always claim that not being able to understand evolution must mean it's wrong!

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[lastlib]

2. And on REFUSING to understand it!

To the knuckle-draggers, staying stoopid is a virtue.

[longship]

3. Memes and genes.

Richard Dawkins came up with the meme analogy. Here we see Gillings using it as an analogy for evolution, just as Dawkins did.

Genes are biological; memes are cultural. It's an imperfect analogy. Nevertheless, it is an important one, which is likely why Dawkins first proposed it.

An interesting mini-lecture, as many TED presentations are. However, I find them to be rather shallow. There is only so much you can accomplish in under 20 minutes. Science is rarely accomplished in sound bites.

That's why I find TED talks often frustrating.

My favorites are those who concisely deliver mind-blowing science, like my favorite TED talk by Carolyn Porco.

Carolyn uses few analogies here, just the facts. Although Gillings presentation is okay, he manages to avoid cutting to the hard science behind evolution, which I feel would make a much stronger case than his memetic argument. Evolution is not really about culture, it's about biology.

I recommend that DUers click through and watch both. (On edit)

[Nitram]

4. Evolution is a very complex phenomenon. It is neither intuitive nor easily explained.

This speaker makes a brave attempt, but like most analogies, his breaks down if examined too closely. An intelligent creationist (assuming that's not an oxymoron) could poke holes in all his points because language is nowhere near as complex as the stressors and forces impacting a population embedded in an ecosystem with thousands of other interconnected species of flora and fauna. Evolutionary theory is supported by hundreds of thousands of distinct examples and facts, which is both its strength and its weakness. I say weakness, because it is impossible to give an exhaustive list of supporting facts to a creationist. It is a strength because those examples come from so many different fields and types of research.

[tomhagen]

5. It works like this:

[mdbl]

6. Here's what you tell a creationist

Evolution is not a belief system, it's a scientific theory that is there to be proved or disproved by scientific study. If more evidence keeps showing up to prove the theory, science will continue to study it.

Creationism is a belief system, not a fact. Unless you were there when it happened, you have less evidence than the scientists studying evolution. Creationism is a belief system which leaves it open to any thing someone wants to make up. You can "BELIEVE" anything -thus the hundreds of cults and religions in the world.