A busy science week. Check out the NNB calendar for details.

Monday

At the Arboretum: A Darwininian Look at Darwin’s Evolutionist Ancestors

For over a century before the publication of On the Origin of Species, naturalists, theologians, atheists, horticulturalists, medical practitioners, poets, and philosophers had advanced evolutionary concepts for the diversification of life through descent with modification. The early history of evolutionary thought will be examined through the lens of Charles Darwin’s highly personal views of his evolutionist ancestors. We will examine the question of what set Darwin apart from the dozens of advocates of evolution who preceded him. Is Darwin truly deserving of his place in history?Tuesday at Harvard Medical School:

Tuesday at HMS:

The Proteostasis Challenge in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease

Richard Morimoto, Rice Institute for Biomedical Research, Northwestern University

Wednesday @ MIT:

Quantum gravity via the LIFO hamburger-cheeseburger model

An old and famous physics problem is to rigorously describe the large n limit of the surface formed by stitching together n squares in a random fashion. The result should be a kind of random two-dimensional surface. I will explain how to reduce one version of this question to a tractable puzzle about inventory accumulation at a LIFO retailer with two products.

Thursday at HMS:

71st Annual Soma Weiss Student Research Day @ Harvard Med School

Students will showcase their research and international projects supported by university funds… Soma Weiss Research Day celebrates all student research efforts, including but not limited to, bench and clinical research, public health, service learning, and preventive medicine here and abroad. .