Primate

Individual Tickets: Academy Members $24 | Non-Members $27 | To reserve a place today, buy a ticket online or over the phone at 415.392.4400 This series takes place at the historic Nourse Theatre located at 275 Hayes Street in San Francisco. Space is limited and advanced purchase is recommended.

 

Virginia Morell, Best Selling Author

Today, it's almost impossible to imagine a society that didn’t believe that animals could think or use tools in navigating their world. Jane Goodall is widely recognized as one of the scientific pioneers to document complex behaviors such as tool use in the animal world. With the publication of her early work, she began to change how we look at animals and consider the capacities of their intelligence.

Today, there are many scientists who recognize that humans are not unique in their ability to use tools, communicate or even to think and feel emotions. In her latest book, Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures Virginia Morell reveals an astounding capacity for ideas and feelings among wild and domestic species. She documents surprising examples of self-reflection and distinctive personality.

Virginia Morell covers evolutionary biology, conservation, and animal behavior for Science and is a regular contributor to National Geographic. Her writing has also appeared in Slate, the New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian, and elsewhere. Her books include Ancestral Passions, a dramatic biography of the famed Leakey family and Blue Nile, about her journey down the Blue Nile, from Ethiopia to Sudan.

Virginia will be in conversation with Roy Eisenhardt who teaches at Berkeley Law and previously served as the Executive Director for the California Academy of Sciences. He has also been President of the Oakland Athletics and Interim President at the San Francisco Art Institute. Some of his numerous interviews for City Arts & Lectures include Stephen King, Gene Wilder, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Desmond Tutu, David Remnick, and Isabella Rosselini.

Share This

Lectures, Classes, and Excursions

Grab your headphones and your imagination while you listen to top scientists talk about their astronomical research on our iTunes podcast channel. The Academy's Benjamin Dean lecture series hosts the world's leading experts in astronomy, astrophysics, and more.

Pop some popcorn and enjoy a videotaped lecture from some of the top scientists in the world. Academy lectures offer thought provoking discussions on topics such as biology, ecology, sustainability, natural history, biodiversity, and evolution.

Garage Hours: 7 am – 7 pm, except Thursdays, 7 am – 11 pm