April Damned Events

Over the next week or so, there are a few “damned”-type events to check out.

First up is the monthly meeting of Drinking Skeptically with our pal Margey —

Date: Thursday, April 16th
Speaker: Dr. Timothy Goldsmith
Topic: The Biological Roots of Human Nature, Forging Links between Evolution and Behavior
Location: The Field, 3001 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport

At Yale University, biology professor Timothy Goldsmith teaches a biology course for non-majors that is one of the most popular science courses on campus. Entitled “The Biological Roots of Human Behavior,” the course examines evolution, genetics, neurobiology, and behavior, concluding with a discussion of what makes humans unique.

Bio: Goldsmith has been a member of the Yale faculty since 1961. His principal interests are in neurobiology (with an emphasis on comparative aspects of vision) and behavioral evolution. His early work showed that although insect eyes are anatomically and developmentally totally different structures from vertebrate eyes, retinol — a derivative of Vitamin A — is the chromophore in insect visual pigments, as it is in all animals. He has explored the regeneration of visual pigment after use in insects and crustaceans and the participation of ultraviolet light in the color vision of birds.

Goldsmith is the author or co-author of over 100 papers and two books, “The Biological Roots of Human Nature: Forging Links Between Evolution and Behavior” and the textbook “Biology, Evolution, and Human Nature” (with William F. Zimmerman). For the last decade he has taught a course on this subject for non-science majors in Yale College. He served as the committee chair and principal author of the National Academy of Sciences’ report “Fulfilling the Promise: Biology Education in the Nation’s Schools.” At Yale, Goldsmith held the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship.

Register at the website, as usual.

Next up is the Connecticut Paranormal Research Society —

CPRS will be presenting another evening of Haunted Happenings Friday, April 17th, 2009 at the Deep River Public Library, 150 Main Street in Deep River from 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Listen to real ghost stories and explore our paranormal findings. Suggested donation is $10.00.

We may try to get to that one.

And two more from The Astrological Society of Connecticut —

Mayan Astrology and 2012 as a Nexus for Change
Astrological Society of Conn. Lecture
Thursday, April 23, 2009, 7:00 PM
(free for members, $15 for non-members)
(Pre-lecture class at 6:00 PM, additional $5 for non-members)
Keeney Memorial Center
200 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT
Gevera Piedmont, a specialist in Mayan and Aztec calendar systems, answers the questions: What is the Mayan calendar and is it really ending? What is the significance of 2012?

Mayan Calendar Madness
Astrological Society of Conn. Workshop
Saturday, April 25, 2009 10 AM – 5 PM
($40 for members, $50 for non-members)
Wesleyan University, Fisk Hall, 262 High St., Room 302, Middletown, CT
Bruce Scofield, an expert on pre-Columbian astrological-divinatory systems used by the Maya and Aztec peoples, explains the facts concerning the Mayan Calendar and builds outlines its meaning and value.

ASC InfoLine: (860) 568-8617

A damned busy month!