Human male violence is paradoxical. On the one hand, within social groups there is a strong tendency for avoidance of direct conflicts such that confrontations between angry individuals or groups normally end without serious harm. On the other hand, our species has a consistent history of intense deliberate violence, ranging from planned homicides and low-level and long-lasting warfare among nomadic hunter-gatherers to massive intermittent conflicts among states. Richard Wrangham (Harvard Univ) ...
Aug 01, 2014•21 min
In order to understand how warfare and violence have shaped the natural history of our species, and perhaps favored adaptations that respond to this important life threat, we need to document what types of violence were common in our ancestors and what were the levels of violent death in the past. Observation of modern hunter-gatherers, who live under conditions similar to our ancestors, provides an important source of information. Kim Hill (Arizona State Univ) studied the death rates of two hun...
Aug 01, 2014•21 min
Patricia Lambert (Utah State Univ) examines the bioarchaeological evidence for violence and warfare in ancient California. Violent injuries in human skeletal remains provide one of the most compelling lines of evidence for violent conflict in prehistory. These data help to broaden our perspective on the causes of human violence and enhance our understanding of its evolutionary underpinnings. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ...
Aug 01, 2014•21 min
In both lions and chimpanzees, males cooperate in inter-group conflict with group-mates who are often relatives and with whom they maintain close, life-long social bonds. Anne Pusey (Duke Univ) discusses some of the mounting evidence that successful intergroup aggression and killing results in better resources for group members in both species. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28348]
Aug 01, 2014•19 min
In this talk, Christopher Boehm (USC) discusses how today’s hunter-gatherers are used to portray likely patterns of male aggression among culturally-modern foragers in the Late Pleistocene epoch. Patterns of aggressive behavior are considered at three levels: within groups, between groups of the same ethnicity, and between groups that consider one another strangers. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28347]
Aug 01, 2014•20 min
Welcome and opening remarks for the symposium Male Aggression and Violence in Human Evolution that takes a fresh look at the causes and consequences of variation in aggression, both between and within species. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28346]
Aug 01, 2014•11 min
In the last few decades, new sources of evidence have continued to indicate that male violence has played an important role in shaping behavior in the human lineage. The frequency and nature of such violence varies widely among populations and over time raises questions about the factors responsible for the variation. This symposium takes a fresh look at the causes and consequences of variation in aggression, both between and within species. Carol Ember (Yale Univ) begins with a discussion about...
Jul 28, 2014•56 min
In the last few decades, new sources of evidence have continued to indicate that male violence has played an important role in shaping behavior in the human lineage. The frequency and nature of such violence varies widely among populations and over time raises questions about the factors responsible for the variation. This symposium takes a fresh look at the causes and consequences of variation in aggression, both between and within species. Christopher Boehm (USC) begins with a discussion about...
Jul 21, 2014•58 min
In the last few decades, new sources of evidence have continued to indicate that male violence has played an important role in shaping behavior in the human lineage. The frequency and nature of such violence varies widely among populations and over time raises questions about the factors responsible for the variation. This symposium takes a fresh look at the causes and consequences of variation in aggression, both between and within species. Donald Pfaff (Rockefeller Univ) begins with a discussi...
Jul 14, 2014•52 min
Closing remarks and Question and Answer session Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28038]
May 02, 2014•35 min
Opening remarks, introduction Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28037]
May 02, 2014•8 min
In this talk, Hillard Kaplan (Univ of New Mexico) presents a theoretical model linking ecology to male paternal investment. The basic argument is that there are three fundamental potential inputs into offspring fitness: genes, care, and energy. When this model is applied to humans, it is proposed that there is a modal human economy of food production and redistribution that evolved as part of the hunting and gathering lifeway. As human economies changed over the last ten thousand years, diversit...
May 02, 2014•21 min
Giving and sharing are central to understanding humanity and human evolution. In this talk, Barry Hewlett (Washington State Univ, Vancouver) examines reproductive (i.e., allomaternal care) and information (i.e., knowledge and skills) sharing among Aka hunter-gatherers of the Congo Basin. Particular attention is given to understanding the contexts of allomaternal nursing and teaching during infancy. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science]...
May 02, 2014•21 min
Sue Carter of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill examines the hypothesis that Homo sapiens, with their high level of dependence on social behavior and cognition, could not have evolved without the neuropeptide, oxytocin. Oxytocin pathways – which include oxytocin, the related peptide vasopressin, and their receptors – are at the center of physiological and genetic systems that permitted the evolution of the human nervous system and allowed the expression of contemporary human socialit...
May 02, 2014•19 min
Katie Hinde of Harvard University presents emerging research that addresses the magnitude, sources, and consequences of inter-individual variation of bioactive constituents in mother’s milk. A better understanding of variation in milk composition, especially for milk constituents linked to infant cognition, neurodevelopment, behavior, and metabolism, enhances an evolutionary biological perspective of parent-offspring dynamics. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthrop...
May 02, 2014•22 min
Kim Bard of the University of Portsmouth, UK presents data on comparative development of infant states, that is, states of arousal, state regulation, emotion states, and engagement states in chimpanzee and human infants. Comparative developmental studies are valuable for understanding hominid evolution, and essential for delineating those characteristics that are uniquely human. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28030]
May 02, 2014•21 min
From the moment of birth, human infants require an inordinate amount of care and, unlike our nearest living relatives, remain dependent on a variety of caretakers during an unusually long maturation period followed by extraordinary adult longevity. How did such a distinctive pattern of development evolve and what other human features are linked to it? Barry Hewlett (Washington State Univ, Vancouver) begins with a discussion on Sharing Childcare and Knowledge in Infancy, followed by Kristen Hawke...
Apr 28, 2014•58 min
From the moment of birth, human infants require an inordinate amount of care and, unlike our nearest living relatives, remain dependent on a variety of caretakers during an unusually long maturation period followed by extraordinary adult longevity. How did such a distinctive pattern of development evolve and what other human features are linked to it? Katie Hinde (Harvard Univ) begins with a discussion about Breast Milk and Breastfeeding, followed by Sue Carter (Univ of North Carolina, Chapel Hi...
Apr 21, 2014•59 min
From the moment of birth, human infants require an inordinate amount of care and, unlike our nearest living relatives, remain dependent on a variety of caretakers during an unusually long maturation period followed by extraordinary adult longevity. How did such a distinctive pattern of development evolve and what other human features are linked to it? Wenda Trevathan (New Mexico State Univ) begins with a discussion about Birth and the Newborn Infant, followed by Kim Bard (Univ of Portsmouth) on ...
Apr 14, 2014•58 min
CARTA: Mind Reading: Human Origins and Theory of Mind: Question and Answer Session Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26085]
Dec 20, 2013•31 min
CARTA: Mind Reading: Human Origins and Theory of Mind: Wrap-Up: Terry Sejnowski Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26084]
Dec 20, 2013•11 min
In this talk, Elizabeth Spelke (Harvard Univ) asks whether studies of human infants provide insights into the origins and nature of uniquely human social cognitive capacities. Do the complex social judgments made by human adults develop from, and build on, simpler systems that are functional in infants? And do non-human animals share any of these systems, and therefore serve as models for studies of their development and functioning at multiple levels of analysis? Recent research on human infant...
Dec 20, 2013•24 min
Over the past two decades, research investigating the neural basis of social abilities suggests that the human brain has dedicated systems for understanding other minds. Jason Mitchell (Harvard Univ) reviews this brain imaging work and discusses the implications for the unique aspects of human social cognition. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26081]
Dec 20, 2013•19 min
Mirror neurons were first discovered in the brain of macaque monkeys – neurons active both when the monkey executed certain actions and when he observed others performing similar actions. Perhaps such neurons in humans could provide the key to linking our own experience to that of others. Michael Arbib (Univ of Southern California) explores this idea, but stresses that mirror neurons function only as part of much larger brain systems. In other words, human social interaction is not just a matter...
Dec 20, 2013•19 min
The ability to recognize oneself in a mirror, once considered a uniquely human attribute, is shared by great apes, dolphins, elephants and magpies. Diana Reiss (Hunter College, CUNY) discusses comparative studies of mirror self-recognition in dolphins and elephants, which show striking similarities to humans and great apes in regard to their behavior when exposed to a mirror. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26079]
Dec 20, 2013•24 min
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore (Univ College London) discusses how the social brain, that is, the network of brain regions involved in understanding others, develops during adolescence. Adolescence is a time characterized by change – hormonally, physically, psychologically and socially. Yet until fairly recently, this period of life was neglected by neuroscience. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26078]
Dec 20, 2013•21 min
For many years, Tetsuro Matsuzawa (Kyoto Univ) has studied chimpanzees both in the laboratory and in the wild. In this talk he presents several examples of “mind reading” in chimpanzees based on his research in the lab and observations in the field. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26076]
Dec 20, 2013•20 min
Ralph Adolphs (Caltech) provides an overview on how best to define Theory of Mind, how to relate it to other similar terms, and how to study it. He closes by speculating on what aspects of mindreading might be unique to humans. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26075]
Dec 20, 2013•21 min
CARTA Symposium Co-Chair Donald Pfaff introduces the topic of Theory of Mind and how it differs from other studies of social behaviors. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26074]
Dec 20, 2013•5 min
CARTA Co-Director Ajit Varki welcomes the public and researchers to the CARTA symposium on Mind Reading: Human Origins and Theory of Mind. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26073]
Dec 20, 2013•6 min
