Humanists UK today announced that the award-winning author and geneticist Professor Matthew Cobb will deliver the 2026 Darwin Day Lecture, taking place at Conway Hall in London on 12 February (Darwin Day). Professor Cobb will explore whether humanity has merely stolen the fire of evolution or – in our challenging and rapidly changing world – sparked a chain reaction we can no longer extinguish.
Early bird tickets are available to buy now.
For millennia, humans have inadvertently shaped the genomes of predators and prey, eventually learning to deliberately alter plants and domesticate animals through selective breeding and agriculture. However, the invention of genetic engineering in the 1970s fundamentally shifted this relationship. Humanity moved from nudging the path of heredity to rewriting it entirely.
In this upcoming lecture, titled ‘The genetic age: who shapes evolution now?’, Professor Cobb will confront the shadow cast by our own ingenuity. He will trace the path from the dawn of agriculture to the ignition of a biological revolution, exploring a modern Promethean moment where the power to reshape life is no longer merely theoretical, but fully operational.
While this technology has transformed the pharmaceutical industry – enabling the cheap manufacture of vital drugs like insulin – it also threatens to permanently alter ecosystems and humanity itself. In a lecture that looks to the past, present, and future of genetics, Professor Cobb will test the warning of molecular biologist Leslie Orgel: that ‘evolution is cleverer than we are’.
Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson said:
‘The power to edit the code of life itself is perhaps the most profound scientific development of our time, carrying with it an immense ethical weight. We are thrilled to welcome Professor Cobb as the Darwin Day Lecturer to navigate these turbulent waters. His work exemplifies the vital need for clear, evidence-based thinking as we confront the genetic dreams and nightmares that may define our future.’
Professor Matthew Cobb is Professor Emeritus at the University of Manchester and a celebrated communicator of science. His recent books include Crick: A Mind in Motion and The Genetic Age: Our Perilous Quest to Edit Life. He was the presenter of the BBC Radio series Genetic Dreams, Genetic Nightmares. In 2024 he won the Royal Society’s Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Medal, and in 2021 was awarded the J. B. S. Haldane Lecture by the Genetics Society.
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For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk.
About the Darwin Day Lecture series
The Darwin Day Lecture explores humanism and humanist thought as related to science and evolution, Charles Darwin, or his works. The Darwin medallist has made a significant contribution in one of these fields. The lecture and medal are named and held to mark the annual global celebration of the birth of Charles Darwin, held every 12 February.
About Humanists UK
Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 150,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.