Are You Related to a Cabbage? The DNA Evidence for Evolution

Genetic ancestry testing can provide surprising insights into where we come from – going back thousands or tens of thousands of years we can find unexpected ancestral connections with populations all around the world: Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. Maybe we can prove that we share a common ancestor with some famous person- royalty perhaps?

How does genetic ancestry work, and what if we took it to extreme limits; what if we were could trace our ancestors back hundreds of thousands, millions, or even billions of years? What would we find then?

This eye-opening premiere webinar with expert researcher Dr Ian McKay explores the evidence for our hidden connections to other species, whether they are the Ice Age Neanderthals or (you probably guessed it from the title) the humble cabbage!

But is there evidence for these concealed links? Do we have characteristics today that we inherited from other species which might affect us positively or negatively? If this is true, is this evidence for evolution, and actually; is the scientific evidence for evolution really on such a firm footing? And what are its implications for religion?

Dr Ian McKay began his education in 1981 at the University of the Witwatersrand in Zoology which included an MSc and PhD in Palaeontology, where he studied a unique fauna of fossil beetles that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in order to reconstruct the prehistoric environment that they lived in. Recently Ian has taken over the role of Head: Education and Outreach for the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand and Education Specialist for the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaoesciences an NRF funded consortium of palaeosciences researchers including the Wits Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of Cape Town Department of Archaeology and the major natural history museums.

As long as he can remember, Ian has been passionate about engaging with the public on evolution, palaeontology, and genetics to explain and discuss all the interesting topics that arise from these fields.