5 August 2013
Dr Alison Woollard, a developmental biologist from the University of Oxford is set to deliver the 2013 CHRISTMAS LECTURES. Alison will present the demonstration packed, three-part series called Life Fantastic which will air on BBC Four this Christmas.
The University Lecturer in Genetics, who gained her PhD under Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse, will uncover the remarkable transformation of a single cell to a complex organism and answer some of the most profound questions about life itself: where do we come from? Can we live forever?
Covering the fundamental science behind recent biological developments such as chimera embryos and using stem cells to potentially cure blindness, Alison will also explore the serious ethical questions that stem from these discoveries. In true Royal Institution style, the lectures will be packed full of engaging demonstrations, showing how genes work in the body and why evolution makes us and every other species on the planet different from each other.