The Bophana Center has the honor to welcome as guest speaker Sir Jean- François to address major social challenges the humanity is currently facing.

In his latest book (Mutants. À quoi ressemblerons-nous demain ?, Flammarion editions, 2014, in French), Bouvet notes that Homo sapiens is not literally alinated, but that the human species is facing an unprecedented evolution in the recorded 200,000 years of existence.

He then lists some trends to be linked with our lifestyle choices : Obesity in the West’s populations (over 30% of the adult population in the U.S.A. ; early-coming puberty in girls ; the dramatic weaking in the the concentration of sperm over the past half-century. The human being is clearly changing, and at a pace unrelated with the Darwinian evolution. What are the causes for that ?

Bouvet looks into the promises of the medicine and asks himeself between Homo or Homo perturbatus technologicus, who will prevail?

The presentation will be followed by a session of Questions & Answers with the audience.

The language of the event is French. No simultaneous interpretation will be provided.

Entrance is free. All are welcome.

Jean – François Bouvet, Ph.D. in biology, teaches at the University Claude Bernard-Lyon I in France. His research interests focus on neurobiology.

Publications of the guest in French :

– “Du fer dans les épinards et autres idées reçues” (sous la dir., Le Seuil, 1997)
– “La stratégie du caméléon. De la simulation dans le monde vivant” (Le Seuil, 2000)
– “Le péché, la bête et l’homme” (sous la dir., Le Seuil, 2003)
– “Sans le nucléaire on s’éclairerait à la bougie et autres tartes à la crème du discours technoscientifique” (coécrit avec Corinne Lepage, Le Seuil, 2010)
– Le camion et la poupée. L’homme et la femme ont-ils un cerveau différent ? (Flammarion, 2012)
– Mutants. À quoi ressemblerons-nous demain ? (Flammarion, 2014)