SEMINAR PROFILE

S08 -
In Pursuit of the Gene

By focusing on original papers and the social dynamics of the scientists who wrote them, this seminar will trace the origins of the concept of the gene. First, we will examine Darwin's deeply flawed "provisional hypothesis of pangenesis" (1869) and follow its evolution over the next thirty years until the world caught up with Gregor Mendel, who had managed to divine the essence of modern genetics in 1865. Next, we cover the concurrent developments in cell biology that led to the realization that there were chromosomes in the nucleus that behaved exactly as Mendel's theory predicted the hereditary particles should. We end with the synthesis of Mendel and Darwin that took place in the Fly Room at Columbia University in the years 1912-1915. Although the course will contain a fair amount of science, non-specialists are encouraged to attend.

Scholar:

Jim Schwartz

Location:

Harvard Hillel

Dates:

1/12/2009, 1/20/2009, 1/26/2009

S08 -	In Pursuit of the Gene

	By focusing on original papers and the social dynamics of the scientists who wrote them, this seminar will trace the origins of the concept of the gene. First, we will examine Darwin's deeply flawed "provisional hypothesis of pangenesis" (1869) and follow its evolution over the next thirty years until the world caught up with Gregor Mendel, who had managed to divine the essence of modern genetics in 1865. Next, we cover the concurrent developments in cell biology that led to the realization that there were chromosomes in the nucleus that behaved exactly as Mendel's theory predicted the hereditary particles should. We end with the synthesis of Mendel and Darwin that took place in the Fly Room at Columbia University in the years 1912-1915. Although the course will contain a fair amount of science, non-specialists are encouraged to attend.

		Scholar:	Jim Schwartz
		Location:	Harvard Hillel
		Dates:	1/12/2009, 1/20/2009, 1/26/2009