Professor Lewis Dartnell: Being Human

To understand the course humanity has taken – from prehistoric times through the age of empire and into the modern era – we must understand who and what we are. From the epidemic that brought Europe’s peasants freedom, to the health deficiency which gave rise to the world’s largest criminal organisation, to the cognitive biases that led to military catastrophes in Crimea and Iraq, Professor Dartnell will discuss how our unique nature shaped our relationships, economies and societies, and, importantly, how it continues to impact human progress today.

Prof. Lewis Dartnell is an astrobiology researcher based at the University of Westminster, studying how microbial life and signs of its existence might persist on the surface of Mars. (Photo credit: Neil Kent)