Nancy Knowlton, Sant Chair for Marine Science at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, will focus on the ecology and evolution of coral reef organisms, the threats they face, and what must be done to save them. Margaret Wertheim, a writer and curator, will offer further testimony to these disappearing wonders as she describes the “Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef” project, a vast handmade yarn reef by countless crochet volunteers around the world.

For more information contact the Chicago Humanities Festival at 312-661-1028.