Lectures

The practice of using gems for healing a wide variety of illness was popular in ancient Greece. Green jasper healed stomach-ache, red jasper cured colic, and hematite subsided bleeding. Some gemstones were used to ward off danger – yellow jasper, for example, was used to protect against scorpion bite. In each case these gems are inscribed with special images and magical texts that skillfully combine Greek, Jewish and Egyptian motifs and names. Dr. Faraone works primarily on ancient Greek religion and poetry and specializes in myth, ritual and magic.

Co-Sponsored by Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies

HMNS Members receive a discount to the 9-part course Magic: A Look at the Science of Illusion from University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies which begins February 23. For more information visit http://gscs.rice.edu/scs/

Take a closer look at the nature and significance of heka-focused rituals in ancient Egyptian thought, and review a variety of rituals and ritual objects to better understand how ancient Egyptians dealt with disease and other critical situations in life. Dr. Dieleman teaches Egyptian religion, literature and philology at UCLA

Co-Sponsored by Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies

HMNS Members receive a discount to the 9-part course Magic: A Look at the Science of Illusion from University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies which begins February 23. For more information visit http://gscs.rice.edu/scs/

In May 2009 space shuttle Atlantis flew to the Hubble Space Telescope for a 13-day mission.  Astronauts, over the course of 5 spacewalks, completed an extreme makeover of the orbiting observatory. Dr. John Grunsfeld will share the early results of the new and repaired instruments that hint at a bright scientific future for Hubble. 

Nicknamed “Chief Hubble Repairman,” NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld participated in three spaceflights to service the Hubble Space Telescope, including this May 2009 mission. Dr. Grunsfeld will offer the unique perspective of an astronomer taking on the challenges of an astronaut to repair Hubble. He recently left NASA to become deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. STScI is the science operations center for Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope, which is planned for launch in 2014.

This evening we will also celebrate the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble in April 2000, and how it changed our view of our universe.

 In a world changing every day by science, many grapple with the Science vs. Religion debate.  Some think the two are not compatible, while others think the contrary.  Two popular figures in this debate are uniquely familiar with both science and religion.  Dr. Francisco Ayala is a renowned evolutionary biologist and a former Dominican priest.  Father George Coyne is a Jesuit priest who is also a noted astronomer. 

As colleagues and friends Dr. Ayala and Fr. Coyne will address Science vs. Religion in a spirited discussion.  They may even bring up more questions.  Could faith possibly be made stronger by science? Can science include or exclude divine action in the world?

Dr. Francisco Ayala is University Professor of Biological Sciences, professor of philosophy, and professor of logic and the philosophy of science at the University of California at Irvine. He specializes in evolutionary genetics and uses DNA to track the path and flow of evolution.

Father George V. Coyne, S.J. served as Director of the Vatican in Tucson, Arizona for over 25 years. He retired as Director in August 2006, however he remains on the staff of the Vatican Observatory and continues as President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

Dr. Ayala and Fr. Coyne are returning to Houston after their popular talks given as part of the Darwin2009 Houston lecture series, but this time they are speaking together. This lecture is sponsored by the Center for Faith and Culture at the University of St. Thomas.

Recent advances in molecular genetics are radically changing ideas about the appearance of primates and the subsequent branching off of the major lineages. Previously, it was thought primates first appeared some 65 million years ago; now experts are proposing dates as far back as 80-90 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

The hazy image of our lineage provided by the fossil record is now coming into focus thanks to new molecular analytical techniques; researchers now have whole genome sequences representing at least one member of each major lineages and whole mitochondrial lineages of nearly every genus in the order Primates. It’s an exciting moment in the story of human and primates, as these data along with new analytical techniques suggest many divergences are more recent than traditionally thought.

Dr. Todd Disotell is a professor of anthropology and a molecular primatologist at New York University’s Center for the Study of Human Origins. Disotell, who has appeared on such popular television shows as “The Daily Show” and “MonsterQuest,” will discuss the use of molecular clocks and other contemporary analytical techniques and the exciting conclusions and questions they pose.