BYU faculty to discuss Pultizer Prize-winning book Nov. 13 - BYU News Skip to main content
Intellect

BYU faculty to discuss Pultizer Prize-winning book Nov. 13

Brigham Young University faculty members Mark C. Belk, associate professor of integrative biology; Duane E. Jeffery, professor of integrative biology; James E. Faulconer, professor of philosophy; Elaine Marshall, dean of nursing; and Harold (Hal) L. Miller, professor of psychology, will discuss "Guns, Germs, and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies," a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Jared Diamond.

"Faculty Insights" will assemble Thursday, Nov. 13, at 11 a.m. in 250 Spencer W. Kimball Tower to discuss Diamond's book, which was chosen as the Kennedy Center's Book of the Semester.

"Why did history take such different evolutionary courses for peoples of different continents?" asks Diamond in the book.

Faculty, students and the community are invited to this discussion of Diamond's synthesis of 13,000 years of history that is guided by advances in several disciplines: molecular biology, plant and animal genetics and biogeography, archaeology, and linguistics.

In addition to being an author, Diamond is a physiologist, evolutionary biologist, and biogeographer. He has also been a medical researcher and professor of physiology. Currently, he is a professor of geology at UCLA.

Diamond will be on campus to discuss his book during International Education Week Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 4 p.m. in 150 Joseph Smith Building. His lecture will also be open to the public.

For a full schedule of International Education Week events, see http://kennedy.byu.edu/events/IEW.

Writer: Lee Simons

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Rethinking sugar: BYU study shows food source is key to understanding diabetes risk

May 27, 2025
A recent BYU study shows that not all dietary sugars carry the same risks. In the largest and most comprehensive meta-analysis of its kind, BYU researchers—in collaboration with researchers from Germany-based institutions—found that the type and source of sugar may matter far more than previously thought.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU researchers show social connection is still underappreciated as a medically relevant health factor

May 22, 2025
Despite mounting evidence that social connection is vital to physical health, new BYU research shows most people, including doctors, still underestimate its importance.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU’s 2025 awards season honors student standouts

May 15, 2025
Rise and shout! Across various disciplines, BYU students have been recognized for their world-class accomplishments.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=