Experts Talk About Lucy's Legacy

The Burke Museum has partnered with Pacific Science Center to present a series of lectures inspired by Pacific Science Center's featured exhibit – "Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia."
The lecture series, "Lucy Talks," brings five experts in the fields of human evolutionary studies, forensic anthropology and fossil conservation to speak about the latest research in evolutionary anthropology and to discuss how a 3.2 million-year-old hominid fossil named "Lucy" continues to influence our world today.  
Dr. Mark Collard kicks off the "Lucy Talks" series on Oct. 16 with his presentation "From Lucy to Lactose: The Evolution of Human Adaptation." Dr. Collard is an associate professor in Human Evolutionary Studies at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. He will discuss how humans have evolved and adapted to a changing world from the emergence of the hominid lineage to the present day.
Each talk features leading experts culminating in a not-to-be-missed lecture by Dr. Donald Johanson, the scientist who discovered "Lucy" in 1974. This series will offer unique insights into the way scientists go about the business of collecting and analyzing information and then sharing it with the world.
• Nov. 13, 2008: Dr. Katherine Taylor presents "Looking Through Time: How Modern Methods Are Shedding New Light on Old Bones";
• Dec. 11, 2008: Drs. Nancy Odegaard and Vicki Cassman present "Travels with Lucy: Or How to Pack When You're Over 3 Million Years Old";
• Jan. 8, 2009: Dr. Patricia Kramer presents "Lucy Walks: Functional Morphology and the Evolution of Bipedalism";
• Feb. 5, 2009: Dr. Donald Johanson presents "Lucy's Legacy":
"Understanding who we are is not just a matter of idle curiosity. It is a matter of survival for our own species as well as for the millions of other species with whom we share Earth. For without clearer understanding of who we are, we fall far short of the kind of future we would want for ourselves and for our children," says Dr. Johanson.
The talks are on Thursdays at 7 p.m. at Pacific Science Center's Eames Auditorium, except for Dr. Johanson's lecture, which will be held at UW Kane Hall. A ticket is required for admission and ranges from free to $15 depending on the lecture. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to pacificsciencecenter.org and click on Lucy's Legacy.
"Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia" is an exhibition organized by The Houston Museum of Natural Science and others.