Natural History Society of Maryland
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Explore Evolutionary Biology with Experts - Intro to Comparative Anatomy and Phylogenetics

When
04 May 2025
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location
6908 Belair Rd, Natural History Society of MD
Spaces left
17

Registration

NHSM Member – $35.00
Non-Member – $50.00

Aristotle said that nature could only be understood through observation, analysis, and classification. Humans have devised many ways to observe, analyze, and classify the natural world. Join our friends from the Johns Hopkins Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution to learn about their favorite tools in evolutionary biology, comparative anatomy, and phylogenetics.

This interactive workshop will start with Dr. Donald Morgan and PhD candidate Savannah Cobb discussing how comparative anatomy helps us understand living and fossil animals. In the afternoon, Dr. EJ Huang will introduce phylogenetics and explain how scientists determine evolutionary relationships.

Get hands-on with real skeletal specimens and datasets to learn how researchers infer the ecology of extinct species and map them onto the tree of life!

Taxonomy is the science/study of classification.
Phylogeny is the science/study of evolutionary relationships between organisms.
Comparative anatomy is the study of how different species’ anatomical structures compare and contrast with one another.

It’s a critical moment for this work. There are potentially 8 million species on Earth, and researchers have only described about 1.5 million. Some believe we are experiencing the 6th great extinction event meaning that many will go extinct before we can name them. It’s a race to record life as it disappears.

Don’t be intimidated by science. All are welcomed – wherever you are in your understanding and study of nature.
NOTE: Please bring a lap top to the class.

Payment and Cancellation Policy: Payment is due online at the time of registration. Cancellations made seven or more days in advance of the event will receive a refund minus a 5% processing fee. Cancellations made within seven days of the event will not receive a refund. Events and field trips with fees of $10 or less are not refundable at any time unless canceled by NHSM. NHSM retains the right to update or change these requirements at any time.

The Natural History Society of Maryland is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and contributions are tax-deductible.

The mission of the Natural History Society of Maryland is to foster stewardship of Maryland’s natural heritage by conserving its natural history collections, educating its citizenry, and inspiring its youth to pursue careers in the natural sciences.