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News: LIMM Darwin Day - November 24th 2009

  • 2009 is the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and 150 years since the publication of Origin of Species.

    The Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine is holding a Darwin day in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin of Species (published on November 24th, 1859). Four external lectures will be given by Gordon Chancellor (University of Essex), Steve Jones (University College, London), Sydney Brenner (Scripps Institute, USA) and Alec Jeffreys (University of Leicester). These will be general lectures on the theme of modern genetics highlighted against the background of the Origin of Species and evolutionary theory.


  • LectureS

  • To be held in the Clinical Sciences Building Lecture Theatre at St James's University Hospital

  • 2pm: Gordon Chancellor

  • Charles Darwin, his life and his science

  • 2.45pm: Steve Jones

  • Is human evolution over?

3.30 - 4pm: Interval


  • 4pm: Sydney Brenner

  • The Reconstruction of the Past: Reading the Human Genome

  • 4.45pm: 2009 Bramall lecture (in recognition of 25 years of DNA fingerprinting)

  • Alec Jeffreys

  • DNA fingerprinting and the turbulent genome

5.30pm: Close

  • Short biographies of the speakers:

  • Dr Gordon Chancellor is from the UK Data Archive at the University of Essex. He is an Associate Editor of darwin-online.org.uk which hosts the largest online resource in the world relating to Charles Darwin and co-editor of 'Charles Darwin's notebooks from the voyage of the Beagle' (CUP 2009).

  • Professor Steve Jones is Professor of Genetics at University College London and is one of the best known contemporary popular writers on evolution. He is a television science presenter and writes a science column in the Daily Telegraph.

  • Professor Sydney Brenner is known to LIMM members, having opened the JIF building in 2007, now known as the Wellcome Trust Brenner building. Sydney was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2002 for his seminal work on discoveries of organ development and programmed cell death.

  • Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys is Royal Society Wolfson Professor at Leicester University. He discovered DNA fingerprinting 25 years ago. Among other important aspects of this method is that it allows identification of people by detecting variations in their genomes and has altered forensic science world wide.

  • Limited tickets are available for the Clinical Sciences Building Lecture Theatre. To reserve a ticket or for further information please contact Michelle Taylor
  • A live video link of the talks will be available for those who do not get tickets. Venues as follows:
  • Level 3 Seminar Room, Wellcome Trust Brenner Building, St James's University Hospital
    Seminar Room, Cancer Genetics Building, St James's University Hospital
    Clarendon Wing Lecture Theatre, Leeds General Infirmary
    A live video stream will also be available at www.ustream.tv/channel/leeds-darwin-day where the lectures can be viewed from your personal computer.