OMSI Science Pub: Nature's Copycat: Convergent Evolution Throughout Time

Nico Spadafora brings a talk on convergent evolution to the Mission Theater on Wednesday, November 4, as part of OMSI's Science Pub series. The presentation is titled Nature's Copycat: Convergent Evolution Throughout Time, and it's a casual one—no scientific background required, and it's recommended for ages 10 and up.

Convergent evolution is the phenomenon where animals evolving completely independently end up looking and behaving remarkably alike. It's the reason you'll find similar traits in creatures that aren't closely related at all, and Spadafora spends the hour walking through how and why that happens. If you've ever wondered why a dolphin looks so much like a shark, or why wings show up in such different branches of the tree of life, that's exactly what this covers.

Spadafora is a paleontologist and the founder of The Fossil Team, an education company and traveling museum. He's spent more than two decades studying paleontology, zoology, and the natural sciences—a path that started with a teenage internship at the Oregon Zoo and led to work as a professional tracker and wilderness educator with Trackers Earth. These days he specializes in dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals, and he's usually accompanied by his house panthers, Puma and Rufus.

The Science Pub is a casual lecture series OMSI stages in venues across the region, and this one lands at the Mission Theater, known around town as 'the Mission.' It was originally home to the Swedish Mission Covenant congregation in the early 20th century and now works as a theater-pub and event space. Doors open at 6 PM, the presentation starts at 7 PM, and tickets are $9.