Please note this event is open to Members only, our next public event will be at our Sunday Social on the 22nd February.
Join us at the house of a committee member on the Moseley/Balsall Heath border as we get together to watch and discuss the livestream of Humanists UK’s 2026 Darwin Day Lecture, which will be broadcast online.
Marking the anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth, the Darwin Day Lecture celebrates scientific thinking, curiosity, and the ongoing impact of evolutionary ideas on our understanding of the world. Each year, Humanists UK invites a leading thinker to explore a topic that illuminates the legacy of Darwin and the continuing relevance of science to humanist values.
In the Darwin Day Lecture 2026, Professor Matthew Cobb will examine The Genetic Age: Who Shapes Evolution Now? Looking at the past, present, and future of genetics, he will explore how humans have influenced the evolution of other species — from early selective breeding to the transformative power of modern genetic engineering.
As our ability to edit life becomes increasingly precise, Cobb asks whether we have simply borrowed evolution’s tools or whether we have unleashed forces we may struggle to control. Drawing on decades of research, he will guide us through the promises and perils of this rapidly changing field, and invite us to reflect on what it means to hold such power over the living world.
The event will be chaired by Janet Ellis MBE, President of Humanists UK.
More details here: https://humanists.uk/events/darwinday2026/
This promises to be a fascinating and thought‑provoking lecture, so do come and join us. The lecture itself starts at 7.30pm, but you are welcome to arrive from 7.00pm onwards to get set up and to chat and socialise beforehand. We usually stay a while for our own discussion following the broadcast.
If you’d like to come, please reply to the email sent to members.
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