Noted Distinguished University Professor from University of Massachusetts-Amherst to Present Lecture at UNM

Dr. Lynn Margulis, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, will present a lecture at the University of New Mexico titled, “Symbiogenesis and Origin of Eukaryotes. Sulfur Syntrophy in the Proterozic.” The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held Friday, Feb. 22 from 12 to 1 p.m. in rm. 100 of biology’s Castetter Hall.

Photo: Lynn Margulis

Margulis was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1983 and is probably best known for development of the theory of symbiogenesis. She has challenged a central tenet of neo-Darwinism: that little significant inherited variation comes from random mutations in DNA. New organelles, tissues, organs, and even new species, evolve primarily through the fusion of genomes in symbioses followed by natural selection.

Symbiogenesis leads to increasingly complex levels of individuality. Beyond contributions to evolution, Margulis is acknowledged for her microbiological work with James E. Lovelock on his Gaia concept. Gaia theory posits that the Earth’s surface interactions among living beings in sediment, air, and water have created a vast self-regulating system.

Margulis is currently working with a few close colleagues on the origin of cilia from spirochetes.

Light snacks will be available prior to the lecture from 11 a.m. to noon in Castetter Hall, rm. 55. Additionally, the UNM Bookstore will have her books available for sale at the reception.

Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu