Sticky business: beyond snails, slime and sex
Why does sexual selection assume separate sexes when that is not the norm in nature, and does it matter? How can we better explain anatomy and physiology while sacrificing fewer animals for education? How do these questions lead to a new field of research and collaboration with artists?
According to Professor of Integrative Biology Joris Koene, the unexpected connecting factor between these questions lies in the reproduction of hermaphroditic snails. In his oration he will illustrate that the reputation of snails - they just eat the garden bare, are slimy and slow - is unjustified. Instead, they provide fertile ground for both educational innovation and research, and their gender fluidity provides food for thought.