Earth Optimism Webinar: Spying On Whales
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 7-8pm Eastern
Speaker: Nick Pyenson, National Museum of Natural History
Sign up online to watch live or on demand
Nick Pyenson with whale bones on Cuverville Island, in Antarctica. (Photo: Martha Stewart)
Summary: We think of whales as icons of the sea, but the first whales were certainly not like the ones that you see today: They lived on land, had four legs, and were the size of a dog. How do we know about the deep past of whales, and what does that tell us about how evolution works? In the finale of SERC's 2020 Earth Optimism series, get a closer look with Nick Pyenson, author of "Spying on Whales" and curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Dive in for the surprising backstory and a glimpse of our shared future with these enigmatic giants. The talk will span the poles to the equator; ice-locked waters to dry deserts; from millions of years in the past to our uncertain future. This talk will be recorded and available to watch on-demand after the live webinar.
Register online, and you'll automatically be entered into a random drawing to win a free copy of Nick's book, "Spying on Whales"! Sign up online to watch live, or to receive a link to the on-demand recording.