Have you ever tried to picture the natural world without relying on sight? It’s a wild thought, but for Dr. Geerat J. Vermeij, it’s just how he experiences life. Blind since the age of three, Dr. Vermeij built an extraordinary career as an evolutionary biologist. He’s a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, a celebrated author, and Professor Emeritus of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Davis.

In our conversation, Dr. Vermeij walks us through the hidden stories that mollusk shells can tell us about evolution. Think underwater battles, survival strategies, and long-forgotten extinction events. He also introduces a powerful idea (no pun intended): that it’s not just energy that drives evolution, it's power. He digs into this more deeply in his book The Evolution of Power, which turns traditional theories on their head in the best possible way.

But science is just part of the story. Dr. Vermeij also talks about what it’s been like to build a life in academia without sight including challenges, but also the deep gratitude he has for the mentors and collaborators who helped him thrive. He doesn’t sugarcoat it, but there’s something incredibly moving about the way he frames inclusion not as charity, but as essential to discovery.

This episode kicks off our special series for Disability Pride Month, where we spotlight brilliant thinkers who expand how we see the world and what’s possible within it. Dr. Vermeij’s life reminds us that resilience, curiosity, and community can break barriers and reshape the story of science itself.

In This Episode:

[02:32] Dr. Vermeij talks about some of the things that he is the most proud of including his early insights including that shells are defenses against predators.

[03:12] Shells get damaged but not necessarily lethally damaged. Most of his work has been a variation of this theme.

[04:04] These adaptations are relatively recent in geological time. This means that the evolution between predator and prey has experienced spectacular adaptations.

[05:16] He spent a lot of time studying in Guam, Panama, and Jamaica. Also New Guinea, Australia, and many more Islands. Every biologist should visit the tropics.

[07:08] His main finding was to connect geological history with modern adaptation. He's also expanded to other organisms besides mollusks.

[08:17] He's working on another book about what it's like to be a scientist. He and a colleague are also working on the evolution of semi-aquatic mammals.

[09:39] Trying to understand evolutionary transitions and taking fossils into account is part of a larger project.

[10:17] We should be diverse in the ways that we approach problems.

[11:01] Unanswered questions in biology today including questions about natural selection.

[12:40] What are the effects of climate change? A place to look are the changes in the effects of the geological records.

[13:15] Dr. Vermeij talks about his book, The Evolution of Power. Energy doesn't do anything for you unless you use it.

[16:39] How collecting shells as a boy shaped his love for the sciences. He's always had an interest in nature and the natural sciences.

[20:13] We learn about his experience being a blind scientist. According to Dr. Vermeij, he has faced relatively few barriers. He had highly supportive potential mentors.

[22:38] He's adapted well to his work, because he's had extremely amazing and helpful assistants.

[24:03] All of his role models have been sighted, and have gone out of their way to help someone who was really interested in their work.

[27:15] He's always had a successful career from the beginning.

[28:32] Advice includes really liking what you're doing and working very hard. Have a strong curiosity about the world and the sense of what is important and what is not important.

[29:39] For blind people, having readers can get you through materials so much faster than the computer. This is also how Dr. Vermeij met his wife.

[31:56] He's had a long time view that we should pay less attention to people's identities and more to what they can actually do.

[33:42] He's the most proud of his journey, and how he recognized something interesting and pursued knowledge. He's all about asking scientific questions.

Resources:

Dr. Geerat J. Vermeij - UC Davis

The Evolution of Power: A New Understanding of the History of Life

MacArthur Fellows