Mohamed Noor

"Why are there so many humanoids on Star Trek? An evolutionary perspective"

ABSTRACT -- Have you ever wondered why most alien life depicted on Star Trek strongly resembles us Earthlings (besides the use of human actors)? Come explore the possibility of humanoid or other forms of life on other planets with Dr. Mohamed Noor. Drawing on relevant scenes from the series as well as real science, Noor presents evidence for the existence of a common ancestor for life on Earth, and clarifies misconceptions about evolutionary biology. He explains some basic evolutionary principles and uses these principles to evaluate three hypotheses posed in various Star Trek series for why there are so many humanoids. Come see which of the hypotheses is the most feasible, and learn a lot of biological evolution in the process!

SPEAKER -- Dr. Mohamed Noor is professor of biology and dean of natural sciences at Duke University, and a contracted science consultant for the Star Trek universe. His team's laboratory research focuses on the genetic changes that lead to the formation of new species. He merges his passions of genetics and evolution with science-fiction by teaching biology concepts using depictions from Star Trek in the classroom, in writings, in online videos, and in presentations at conventions.

Engineering Colloquium home page: https://ecolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov