Darwin Day explores "Insights from the Beetles"

February 07, 2014

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's annual Darwin Day will explore the evolution of animal weaponry.

The event is Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 6-8:30 p.m. at Timmerman Auditorium in Hyland Hall. Keynote speaker Laura Lavine, an associate professor in entomology at Washington State University, will explain how insects adapt and use different parts of their body for weapons or to attract to a mate.

"Darwin was interested in sexual selection," said Robert Kuzoff, associate professor of biology at UW-Whitewater. "Lavine uses this theory through research of insects. It's really nice to hear someone who spent years thinking very carefully about the significance of Darwin's work and modern day applications of it."

The event is free to open to the public. The Edible Tree of Life, a gathering for people to bring food in shapes of different animals, organisms or plants that represent all living things, will begin at 6 p.m. and Lavine will begin her talk at 7 p.m. The title is "Mechanisms of extreme growth and sexual dimorphism in sexually related weapons: insights form the beetles."

For more information on Lavine visit her website at http://entomology.wsu.edu/laura-lavine/.