© Pint of Science, 2025. All rights reserved.
Join us for an exhilarating pint of science! Grab a drink, settle in, and prepare to be amazed as we dive into the fascinating world of evolution. Our expert speakers will uncover jaw-dropping truths about our genetic connections with bananas, unravel the mysterious evolution of sex, and trace the epic journey of our ancestors in the hominidae family. Get ready to expand your mind and quench your thirst for knowledge! Cheers to science, evolution, and a night to remember! #PintOfEvolution #ScienceSips
Tracing human evolution with DNA
Diana Cruz Dávalos
(Doctoral researcher, University of Lausanne)
Human populations in Africa bear the highest genetic diversity. This and other findings have helped us to pinpoint Africa as “the cradle of humanity”. Nevertheless, we still know very little about the evolution of human populations. In the last decades, genetic studies of present-day and ancient individuals have allowed us to gain a better understanding of the emergence and evolution of populations.
In this talk, I will explain how researchers use genetic data to reconstruct the history of humans (and other organisms in general) and their adaptation to new environments.
In this talk, I will explain how researchers use genetic data to reconstruct the history of humans (and other organisms in general) and their adaptation to new environments.
The evolution of sex
Guillaume Lavanchy
(Post-doc, University of Lausanne)
Why do we have sex? What are males useful for? Can females make babies on their own? Why do most species have only two biological sexes? Biologists have been struggling to answer these questions for decades. We will go back in time to look at the evolution of sexual reproduction, to try to understand how it could have emerged, how it could be maintained, and why it is the most widespread reproductive mode in animals. We will also look at the diversity of reproductive modes across the tree of life.
How many genes do I have in common with a banana?
Natasha Glover
(Associate Director, Comparative Genomics Group, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics)
Most people know that we share about 98% of our genes with chimpanzees. But how much do we have in common with our favorite yellow fruit - the banana? In this talk, we'll explore the fascinating world of DNA, genes, and the evolution of species to answer the question on everyone's mind: what percentage of genes do we share with a banana? We'll dive into the genetics behind evolution and its implications for understanding the relationships between all living organisms
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.