April 28, 2021
Paul Shamble, John Harvard Distinguished Science Fellow, Harvard University
Consider the spider: eight legs, eight eyes, and a brain the size of a poppy seed. These are some of nature’s most amazing and charismatic creatures, and yet we know so little about their worlds. Paul Shamble will discuss the lives, habits, and marvelous morphologies of these animals—from sensory structures and cognition to locomotion and behavior. Understanding these creatures helps us better understand evolution and diversity—and leads us to ask what it means that even tiny animals inhabit complex lives.
Evolution Matters Lecture Series
Series supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit
About the Speaker
Paul Shamble is a John Harvard Distinguished Science Fellow at Harvard University where his work explores cognition, locomotion, and sensory perception in jumping spiders. Shamble received his BA in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley (2008) followed by a Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior from Cornell University (2015). He has worked with spiders from across Europe and all over the United States including the Great Plains, the Great Lakes, the Mountain West, and New England. His work at Harvard uses novel experimental approaches (high-speed cameras, 3D printing, etc.) to explore the behavior, brains, and biology of these animals.