Tracing the evolution of the human diet from our earliest ancestors can lead to a better understanding of human adaptation in the past. It may also offer clues to the origin of many health problems we currently face, such as obesity and chronic disease. This fascinating series of talks focuses on the changing diets of our ancestors and what role these dietary transitions played in the evolution of humans. Here Steven Leigh (Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) discusses Diets and Microbes in Pr...
Feb 04, 2013•58 min
V.S. Ramachandran (UC San Diego) explains how his interest in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) stems from an earlier, and broader, interest in mirror neurons and their dysfunction (and restitution of function) in neurology. He begins with a brief survey of the mirror neuron system (MNS) and then makes specific predictions of what to expect from their dysfunction in neurological populations with stroke or phantom limbs, as well as neurotypical populations who overlap with ASD. Series: "CARTA - Cen...
Jan 18, 2013•18 min
Autism affects males much more often than females. The explanation for this must either lie in diagnostic practice, hormones, genetics, or (most likely) a mix of all three factors. In this talk, Simon Baron-Cohen (Univ of Cambridge) summarizes 5 lines of investigation from his lab that suggest baby's sex steroid hormones are a key part of the puzzle of autism. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 24825]
Jan 18, 2013•23 min
Bernard Crespi (Simon Fraser University) describes a simple model, based in evolutionary biology, neurodevelopment, and genetics, for understanding how the primary features of autism are related to the major neuroanatomical and cognitive traits that are highly-developed or unique to the human lineage. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 24824]
Jan 18, 2013•19 min
Daniel Geschwind (UCLA) and his colleagues have been working to identify autism risk genes and understand how these might lead to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Many genes with distinct functions have been identified as ASD susceptibility genes. In this lecture, he indicates how systems biology approaches demonstrate that pathways necessary for normal brain development and function are altered in ASD. Identification of these pathways is the first step toward developing treatments of ASD. Serie...
Jan 18, 2013•19 min
In this talk, Mirella Dapretto (UCLA) begins by describing the relevance of mirror neurons for social functioning. She then discusses the empirical evidence suggesting that the so-called ‘mirror neuron system’ may be hyporesponsive in autism. Dapretto concludes by highlighting critical questions for future research in these areas. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 24822]
Jan 18, 2013•23 min
This lecture demonstrates how early screening at the 1st birthday can positively impact the search for biomarkers and lead to new discoveries regarding the study and treatment of autism. Karen Pierce (UC San Diego) emphasizes patterns of eye gaze as a potent early marker of autism and considers how fMRI can be used to examine neural functional organization in response to language in ASD toddlers. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 2482...
Jan 18, 2013•20 min
Andrew Meltzoff (Univ of Washington) describes new research on the origins of ‘social cognition’ -- the mechanisms by which infants come to understand other people and interpret their actions and intentions before language -- and its implications for understanding children with autism spectrum disorders. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 24820]
Jan 18, 2013•21 min
Although the neurobiology of autism has been studied for more than two decades, the majority of studies have examined brain anatomy 10 or more years after the onset of clinical symptoms. The early neural defects that cause autism remain unknown, but their signature is likely to be most evident during the first years of life when clinical symptoms are emerging. In this lecture, Eric Courchesne (UC San Diego) highlights several new findings about the neural and genomic abnormalities in autism at y...
Jan 18, 2013•21 min
In this presentation, Jonathan Sebat (UC San Diego) points out that the biggest known risk factors for autism are genes. However, the mutations that have been firmly implicated in autism are unlike the genetic variants that explain common late-onset diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Most of the genes or genomic regions that are known to contribute to autism are “mutation hotspots”. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 24818]
Jan 18, 2013•18 min
This fascinating and important series from CARTA explores the newest understandings of the roots of autism disorders from the foremost researchers in the world. In this episode, UCLA’s Daniel Geschwind, Simon Fraser University’s Bernard Crespi and Cambridge University’s Simon Baron-Cohen discuss The Evolutionary Biology of Autism Risk, Systems Biology of Autism Spectrum Disorders, and The Fetal Androgen Theory Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] ...
Dec 19, 2012•58 min
This fascinating and important series from CARTA explores the newest understandings of the roots of autism disorders from the foremost researchers in the world. In this episode, Karen Pierce and V.S. Ramachandran of UC San Diego are joined by UCLA’s Mirella Dapretto as they discuss The Early Identification of Autism, Mirroring in the Neurotypical and Autistic Brain, and Mirror Neuron Dysfunction in Neurology. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [...
Dec 12, 2012•58 min
This fascinating and important series from CARTA explores the newest understandings of the roots of autism disorders from the foremost researchers in the world. In this episode, Jonathan Sebat and Eric Courchesne of UC San Diego are joined by Andrew Meltzoff of the University of Washington as they discuss Genetic Etiology, Surprising Findings in Autism: Insights into Anthropogeny and The 'Like-Me' Theory for Connecting Self and Others. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training i...
Dec 05, 2012•59 min
How cultural traditions have shaped, and continue to shape, our genomes with presentations on Genetic Impact of Culturally-Based Mating Systems (Marcus Feldman), The Grandmother Hypothesis and Rates of Aging (Kristen Hawkes), and Do Genetic Differences Affect Language Evolution? (Mark Aronoff and Carol Padden) Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23905]
Jun 20, 2012•56 min
How cultural traditions have shaped, and continue to shape, our genomes with presentations on Genomic Basis for Dietary Shifts during Human Origins (Gregory Wray), Adaptations to Human Adult Milk Intake (Sarah Tishkoff), and A Nutritional Basis for the Spread of Indo-European Languages (Henry Harpending) Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23904]
Jun 13, 2012•57 min
How cultural traditions have shaped, and continue to shape, our genomes with presentations on Origins of Modern Human Behavior (Alison Brooks), Culture-led Gene-culture Coevolution (Peter Richerson), and Human Adaptations to Diverse Environments (Anna Di Rienzo) Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 21015]
Jun 06, 2012•58 min
Why are we the only two-legged creature to develop an exclusively upright gait? And what did it mean to the development of the human species? CARTA brings you foremost experts to explore the many facets of these questions in this fascinating series with presentations from Dan Lieberman, Leslie Aiello and Matt Cartmill that explore the effect of running, walking and the upright gait on hominid evolution. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show I...
Mar 21, 2012•58 min
Why are we the only two-legged creature to develop an exclusively upright gait? And what did it mean to the development of the human species? CARTA brings you foremost experts to explore the many facets of these questions in this fascinating series with presentations from Brian Richmond, Carol Ward and Chris Ruff that compare different evidence and aspects of hominid body form and what those tell us about upright locomotion in hominids. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training ...
Mar 14, 2012•59 min
Why are we the only two-legged creature to develop an exclusively upright gait? And what did it mean to the development of the human species? CARTA brings you foremost experts to explore the many facets of these questions in this fascinating series - starting with presentations from Steven Churchill, Jeremy DeSilva and Matt Tocheri that compare different aspects of hominid anatomy and their relation to bipedalism. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Scien...
Mar 07, 2012•58 min
UC Santa Cruz’s Ed Green on the science of revealing the history of divergence of the human species from Neanderthal. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 20870]
Dec 26, 2011•27 min
Leading brain researchers Chet Sherwood, Fred Gage and John Allman discuss unique specialization of the human brain on the cellular and micro-structural scale. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23063]
Dec 19, 2011•57 min
John Allman, Professor of Neurobiology at the California Institute of Technology, discusses the nerve cells called VENS (von Economo neurons) and their relationship to positive social emotions like bonding and trust, and negative emotions like disgust Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23230]
Dec 16, 2011•19 min
Fred H. Gage of the Salk Institute and the University of California, San Diego, describes how induced pluripotent stem cells are used to create functional, developing neurons of humans and chimps, which helps to identify and confirm gene expression differences between the species. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23229]
Dec 16, 2011•19 min
Chet Sherwood, Associate Professor of Anthropology at The George Washington University, explains that while a bigger brain is clearly an important factor in our greater cognitive abilities, some of our cognitive function is likely and specifically related to particular psychological specializations, such as language and enhanced “mentalizing” abilities Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23228]
Dec 16, 2011•22 min
William Hopkins, Professor of Psychology at Agnes Scott College and research scientist at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, uses in vivo imaging technologies to assess hemispheric specialization. He talks about handedness in non-human primates as it relates to the evolution of coordination and manual gestures. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23227]
Dec 16, 2011•21 min
Wolfgang Enard, a junior group leader at the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, investigates the genetic and molecular basis of human speech. He uses a mouse model to explore language evolution in humans. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23226]
Dec 16, 2011•21 min
James K. Rilling, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Emory University, discusses non-invasive brain imaging techniques to compare brain structure and function in monkeys, apes and humans, with the goal of identifying human brain specializations and informing our knowledge of human brain evolution. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23225]
Dec 16, 2011•20 min
Katerina Semendeferi, UC San Diego, explores the specializatons of the human social brain. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23224]
Dec 16, 2011•21 min
Mike Gazzaniga, UC Santa Barbara, explores the modular and specialized human brain. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23223]
Dec 16, 2011•21 min
Todd Preuss, Emory University, explores specialization of human physiology and the distinctiveness of human aging. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 23222]
Dec 16, 2011•20 min
