6:00 - 7:00
Dr. Nathan H. Lents explores the existence and significance of gender diversity in the animal kingdom, a key topic from his new book, The Sexual Evolution: How 500 Million Years of Sex, Gender, and Mating Shape Modern Relationships. Diverse animal genders is a key aspect in the new science of sex and gender and affirms that transgender, intersex, and nonbinary individuals are part of the inherent diversity of social animals.
Lents holds a a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Physiology from Saint Louis University School of Medicine, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Genomics at New York University. Since 2006, he has been a faculty member at John Jay College, where he currently serves as the director of the Cell and Molecular Biology program. His research focuses on understanding the genetic underpinnings of human uniqueness, particularly through studying genes and genetic elements that distinguish humans and our extinct relatives from other African apes. His lab is also investigating the evolution of microRNA genes in Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans, exploring how these small regulators influence gene expression networks and contribute to species-specific traits.
