This session was hosted as part of the 2021 virtual 25th Anniversary event, “Forward Together: Where Science, Ethics, and Religion Intersect in a Changing World.“
Many people see conflicts between the theory of biological evolution and their own belief systems and religious identity. In this session, panelists discussed their work engaging with religious communities about biological evolution in ways that respect diverse worldviews, including religious and spiritual beliefs.
Dr. Levi Morran is an evolutionary biologist, an associate professor in the Department of Biology, and director of the Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution graduate program at Emory University. Levi’s lab studies coevolutionary interactions between hosts and microbes with a focus on understanding the evolution of sexual reproduction. The Morran lab often utilizes experimental evolution to directly test evolutionary theory by observing evolutionary change in nematode (microscopic worms) and bacterial populations in real time. In addition to science, Levi loves dogs, burritos, and coaching his daughter’s softball teams.
Dr. Briana Pobiner is a paleoanthropologist whose research centers on meat-eating in the evolution of Stone Age human diets. Since joining the Smithsonian in 2005 to help put together the Hall of Human Origins, in addition to continuing her active field, laboratory, and experimental research programs, she leads the Human Origins Program’s education and outreach efforts, including managing the Human Origins Program’s public programs, website content, social media, and exhibition volunteer training. Briana has more recently developed an additional research program in evolution education. She is also an Associate Research Professor of Anthropology at the George Washington University.
Dr. John Slattery is a Senior Program Associate at AAAS DoSER with oversight of the Science for Seminaries project. He has earned a B.S. in computer science from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in religious studies from Saint Paul School of Theology, and an interdisciplinary PhD in the history and philosophy of science with a focus on the intersections of science and religion from the University of Notre Dame. John’s research focuses on historical interactions between Christianity and science, especially in the last few centuries. His book, Faith and Science at Notre Dame, tells the story of the philosophical developments of science in late-19th century Catholicism, culminating in the censure of a pro-evolution priest from Indiana, John Zahm. He has also published on the historical connections between eugenics, religion, and science in the early 20th century, uncovering previously unknown tendencies in the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ.
