Film Screening: 'Symbiotic Earth' followed by discussion

Event Type: 
Special Event
Date: 
Saturday, June 24, 2017 - 2:00pm
Dept. of Geosciences, U-Mass Amherst
Location: 
Integrative Learning Center, Room: N151

Hummingbird Films and the UMass Amherst geosciences department invite you to a preview screening of John Feldman’s new documentary "Symbiotic Earth: How Lynn Margulis Rocked the Boat and Started a Scientific Revolution."

From understanding that bacteria are life’s fundamental sustaining force, to championing symbiosis as a major driver of evolution, to developing Gaia Theory (Earth systems science) with James Lovelock, Lynn Margulis spent her career investigating and fighting for ideas that are now revolutionizing the study of geoscience, evolution and medicine.

Distinguished University Professor of geosciences at UMass Amherst,  Margulis was a member of the National Academies of Sciences of both the United States and Russia. She was the recipient of the National Medal of Science from President Clinton and the Darwin-Wallace Medal from the Linnaean Society of London as well as many other awards, prizes and honorary degrees. She was a beloved teacher, a major taxonomist and courageous scientist. History is not always fair, but if the history of science is fairly written, Margulis will be recognized as a “visionary biologist” who was the "master architect for rethinking of biology in terms of collaborating consortia” and an evolutionist on par with or exceeding Darwin and Wallace. Oxford has Darwin. UMass Amherst has Margulis.

The film is two and a half hours long and will be followed by a moderated discussion. The filmmakers will be present.

A trailer for the film can be seen at: https://player.vimeo.com/video/215519625