Guest Lecture Penguin Sexual Politics

The San Bernardino County Museum Guest Lecture Series continues on Wednesday evening, February 28, when Dr. Marlene Zuk presents “Penguin Sexual Politics” at 7:30 p.m. in the museum’s Fisk Gallery. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Penguins have always been photogenic and endearing, but a few years ago they also became a political hot potato. First there were the pairs of male penguins at a number of zoos that engaged in sexual behavior much like that of male-female couples. And then penguin wars heated up when the French documentary “March of the Penguins” became an unexpected box office hit. So what can we really learn–about the penguins as well as ourselves–from these events? What do penguins and other animals have to say about what’s natural in family life?

Dr. Marlene Zuk is a Professor of Biology at the University of California, Riverside. Her research concerns animal behavior and the evolution of male-female differences, and how people use information about animals to inform their own views about sex and gender.

The San Bernardino County Museum sponsors its guest lecture series to share current research by prominent researchers and scholars with the public. Scheduled for this year’s series are Julie Rathbun on Saturn’s moon Enceladus (March 28), Joan Fryxell on boiling volcano lakes (April 25), James Sandos on converting California (May 23), and Alexis Tray on biological anthropology and forensics (June 27).

The San Bernardino County Museum is at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org.

The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assistive listening devices or other auxiliary aids are needed in order to participate in museum exhibits or programs, requests should be made through Museum Visitor Services at least three business days prior to your visit. Visitor Services’ telephone number is 909-307-2669 ext. 229 or (TDD) 909-792-1462.