ASU Origins Great Debate to focus on power of extinctions

Extinction is one of the most powerful forces on Earth. In an Origins Project Great Debate, "Extinctions: Tragedy to Opportunity," a panel of experts will discuss extinctions throughout history, from simple biological systems to modern technology.

This wide-ranging discussion will examine the current rate of extinction, what can be done to slow it and the new perception of extinctions as evolutionary opportunities. The event will be held at 7 p.m., Feb. 7, at Arizona State University's Gammage Auditorium.

Tickets remain for the debate, according to ASU’s Origins Project, which organized the event.

Panelists for "Extinctions" include poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman; paleoanthropologist and curator emeritus of the American Museum of Natural History Ian Tattersall; ASU President Michael Crow; planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton; and Svante Pääbo, sequencer of the Neanderthal genome. ASU physicist Lawrence Krauss will moderate. A book signing will follow the event.

Ticket prices are $10 and $26, plus fees. Tickets can be found online through Tickemaster.com and at the ASU Gammage Box Office, 480-965-3434.

A limited number of free tickets are available – first come, first served – to the event. Persons must present a valid ASU ID at the Gammage Box Office for these tickets.

For more information on Origins Project events, go to origins.asu.edu or call 480-965-0053.