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School may be out for the summer, but classes will soon be in session at the ӳ����ý. The second installment of the institute’s annual summer lecture series, Midsummer Nights’ Science, begins on July 11. Through a series of four weekly talks that are free and open to the public, local scientists affiliated with the ӳ����ý will discuss recent advances in genomic research, the implications for not only science but also society, and the crucial questions that remain to be answered.

Like the inaugural lectures, this summer’s talks adopt a modern view of the scientific transformation that began more than a century ago with the seminal studies of the Austrian monk Gregor Mendel — the “father of genetics”. It was Mendel who observed the ways that physical traits were passed from one pea plant to another, forming the basis for our knowledge of hereditary principles. In honor of the scientific field it helped to launch, the pea plant provides inspiration for the ӳ����ý’s seminar series (see Graphic), which takes its name from one of William Shakespeare’s well-known plays.

• On July 11, David Reich will explain how decoding DNA from chimpanzees and gorillas is enabling scientists to dissect the evolutionary relationship between our ancestors and those of other primates.

• The following week, on July 18, Pardis Sabeti will explore what researchers are learning about the crucial changes to our DNA that have occurred during human evolution and the biological forces that drive these changes.

• On July 25, Todd Golub will describe how genomics is helping scientists to classify tumors according to what goes wrong inside them — information that has the potential to advance the understanding and perhaps treatment of cancer.

• Concluding the series on August 1 will be Vamsi Mootha. He will deconstruct the inner workings of mitochondria — the miniature engines that normally supply our cells with much-needed energy — and how their misfiring can lead to human disease.

The hour-long lectures will be held at the ӳ����ý’s 7 Cambridge Center building in Kendall Square and will begin promptly at 6pm. For more information about Midsummer Nights’ Science, visit