Looking for Answers in the Galápagos:

Artist Allison Maria Rodriguez, Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation biologist, Noah Charney, and Lecturer on Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Andrew Berry

A Virtual Catalyst Conversations, February 17, 2022
6-7pm EST
In recognition of Darwin Day
Presented with Boston Cyberarts

How does the Galápagos continue to entice us as it has for a century and a half? What are the effects of climate change on evolution? Our three speakers addressed these and other issues in their respective practices and in the ensuing discussion.

In her work Wish You Were Here: Greetings from the Galápagos, Allison Maria Rodriguez navigates the unsteady terrain between conservation and consumption, environmental advocacy and tourism, sustainability and exploitation.

Protecting the Galápagos Islands — sometimes referred to as an evolution showcase and a living museum — is a priority for Noah Charney. “The Galápagos are a global treasure,” says Charney about the 19-island volcanic archipelago that’s home to giant tortoises, finches, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, huge cacti, land snails, mockingbirds, corals, sharks, penguins, sea lions, iguanas and seabirds.

Andrew Berry says that “for me, a biologist interested in evolution on islands, the Galapagos are iconic. The islands have played central roles both in the history of scientific thinking and in our ongoing efforts to understand how biological diversity comes about. But those roles are richer and more complex than might first appear. Darwin had no Eureka! moment there; in fact, he was positively confused by what he saw. And those famous finch species, each with its distinctive bill? Their evolution has in fact been a much messier process than textbooks suggest. Scientific discovery and the natural world itself refuse to be turned into clichés.

Image: installation view of "Wish You Were Here: Greetings from the Galápagos" at the Boston Children's Museum in 2018. Photo by Stewart Clements.