CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (Audio)

Donald Pfaff (Rockefeller Univ) addresses two questions in this talk: First, how is it possible to increase testosterone-fueled aggressive behaviors? Second, what does testosterone do, exactly, in the nerve cell? Understanding all of the ways that testosterone fuels aggression may suggest antidotes: pharmacological, psychological and/or cultural. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28349]

Human beings are animal-machines with added souls. This was famously Descartes’ view, and it’s the view of a good many people today. Nicholas Humphrey (Darwin College) is one of them. He contends that humans have evolved a kind of consciousness that, when egged on by culture, leads them to have an extraordinary view of their own metaphysical importance. In fact, Humphrey believes that it is arguably the main driver of human evolution in the last hundred thousand years. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 24983]

The neural crest is a transitory embryonic tissue that, early in development, gives rise to a very diverse set of tissues and organs including pigment cells (melanocytes), bones, muscles and connective tissues in the head, and the adrenal gland. Tecumseh Fitch (Univ of Vienna) hypothesizes that the selection for tameness during early stages of domestication led to delayed maturation and reduced output of the adrenal component of the “fight or flight” response, via reduced neural crest input. This led, as an unselected byproduct, to other neural crest-derived tissues also being reduced, resulting in short snouts, smaller teeth, floppy ears, and changes in pigmentation (e.g. white spots). Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28900]

In this talk Terrence Deacon (UC Berkeley) describes how the signature pattern of specific brain structure changes can provide evidence to distinguish between the processes associated with domestication. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28898]

Closing remarks and Q&A for the symposium “Domestication and Human Evolution.” Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28903]

In this talk Richard Wrangham (Harvard Univ) puts forth the theory that Homo sapiens are, in fact, a self-domesticated species. He defines “self-domestication” as the evolution of a reduced propensity for reactive aggression (compared to an immediate ancestor), without the active involvement of another species. He then shows that communal sanctions practiced by hunter-gatherers, which depend on proactive aggression, provide a leading candidate mechanism selecting against high levels of reactive aggression. He therefore proposes that human self-domestication is an ironic consequence of a particularly well-developed facility for proactive aggression, and concludes that humans did indeed self-domesticate, providing a critical underpinning for inter-individual tolerance and cooperation. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28902]

Robert Wayne (UCLA) presents a historical perspective on dog evolution in this talk. The timing and context of dog domestication is controversial. Wayne’s findings place domestication at a time when humans were migratory hunter-gatherers and suggest that a unique domestication scenario applies to the dog, the only large carnivore ever domesticated. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28895]

Philipp Khaitovich (PICB, Shanghai) and his team have identified the human-specific delay in timing of neocortical synaptogenesis as one of the molecular mechanisms that potentially underlies the evolution of the human phenotype. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28899]

Anna Kukekova (Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) discusses the genetics-centered view of domestication that was supported by the experimental selection of farm-bred foxes (Vulpes vulpes) at the Russian Institute of Cytology and Genetics back in the 1950s. The selection of foxes, some for tame and some for aggressive behavior, yielded two strains with markedly different, genetically determined, behavioral phenotypes. These fox strains have provided a rich resource for investigating the genetics of complex social behaviors. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28896]

Recently, a convergence of views has led to the notion that the study of animal domestication may tell us something not only about our relationship with domesticated species since perhaps at least the Pleistocene, but also about our own evolution as a species in the more distant past. This symposium brings together scientists from a variety of research backgrounds to examine these views and to elucidate further the possible role of domestication in human evolution. Kazuo Okanoya (Univ of Tokyo) begins with a discussion about Domestication and Vocal Behavior in Finches, followed by Richard Wrangham (Harvard Univ), who tries to answer the question Did Homo sapiens Self-Domesticate?, and Terrence Deacon (UC Berkeley), who closes with The Domesticated Brain. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28893]

Recently, a convergence of views has led to the notion that the study of animal domestication may tell us something not only about our relationship with domesticated species since perhaps at least the Pleistocene, but also about our own evolution as a species in the more distant past. This symposium brings together scientists from a variety of research backgrounds to examine these views and to elucidate further the possible role of domestication in human evolution. Terrence Deacon (UC Berkeley) begins with a discussion about The Domesticated Brain, followed by Philipp Khaitovich (PICB, Shanghai) on Neotenous Gene Expression in the Developing Human Brain, and Tecumseh Fitch (Univ of Vienna) on The Domestication Syndrome and Neural Crest Cells: A Unifying Hypothesis. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28892]

Recently, a convergence of views has led to the notion that the study of animal domestication may tell us something not only about our relationship with domesticated species since perhaps at least the Pleistocene, but also about our own evolution as a species in the more distant past. This symposium brings together scientists from a variety of research backgrounds to examine these views and to elucidate further the possible role of domestication in human evolution. Robert Wayne (UCLA) begins with a discussion about The Transformation of Wolf to Dog: History, Traits, and Genetics, followed by Anna Kukekova (Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) on Fox Domestication and Genetics of Complex Behaviors, and Robert Franciscus (Univ of Iowa) on Craniofacial Feminization in Canine and Human Evolution. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28891]

Sarah Blaffer Hrdy(UC Davis) discusses how reliance on allomaternal assistance to rear young rendered mothers increasingly sensitive to signals of how much social support she and her offspring could expect. Additionally, multiple offspring, with overlapping periods of dependency, meant that mothers might be forced to choose between offspring when investing. Paternal and alloparental responses to infants would also be facultatively expressed, depending on probable relatedness, alternatives available, past experience and degree of exposure to infantile appeals. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28217]

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 hunter-gatherer tribes, the Aché of Paraguay and the Hiwi of Venezuela, and discusses his findings in this talk. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28351]

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 ID: 28350]

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]

Summary, question and answer session and closing statement 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" [Science] [Show ID: 28357]

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]

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) shows that the combination of aggression styles is better understood as being due to two neurobiologically distinct patterns that have been subject to contrasting selective regimes. He concludes that the combination of these two styles of aggression makes humans well adapted for both war and avoidance of war. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28354]

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]

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 Resource Unpredictability, Socialization, and War, followed by Polly Wiessner on Violence: What’s Culture Got to Do with It?, and Robert Kelly (Univ of Wyoming) who asks Do Hunter-Gatherers Tell Us About Human Nature? Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28345]

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 Warfare and Feuding in Pleistocene Societies, followed by Patricia Lambert (Utah State Univ) on Bioarchaeological Perspectives on Male Violence in Prehistory, and Kim Hill (Arizona State Univ) on Male Violence among the Aché and Hiwi Hunter-Gatherers. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28344]

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 discussion about Neuroendocrine Mechanisms Underlying Male Aggression, followed by Anne Pusey (Duke Univ) on Intergroup Violence: Chimpanzees and Lions, and Richard Wrangham (Harvard Univ) on Parallel Evolution of Humanity and Savagery. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28343]

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] [Show ID: 28033]

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, diversity in mating and parental investment has grown substantially. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28034]

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 Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28031]

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]

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 sociality. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28032]

Closing remarks and Question and Answer session Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28038]

Opening remarks, introduction Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 28037]

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 Hawkes (Univ of Utah) on Grandmothers and the Extended Family, and Hillard Kaplan (Univ of New Mexico) on Human Fathers. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28018]

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 Hill) on Oxytocin Pathways and Human Evolution, and Melvin Konner (Emory Univ) on Hunter-Gatherer Childhood and Human Evolution. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28017]

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 the Infant State in Apes and Humans, and Sarah Blaffer Hrdy (UC Davis) on Born Human: How the Utterly Dependent Survive. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 28016]

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 infants suggests tentative answers to these questions. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26083]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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 of registering the current actions or expressions of the other. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 26080]

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]

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]

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]

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]

This CARTA series explores the evolution of “Theory of Mind” (ToM), the ability to impute mental states such as beliefs, desires, and intentions to oneself and others, and how ToM makes us uniquely human. Elizabeth Spelke (Harvard Univ) begins with a discussion about What Makes Humans Different?, followed by Jason Mitchell (Harvard Univ) on Brain Imaging Studies, and Michael Arbib (Univ of Southern California) on Mirror Neurons and More. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 25936]

This CARTA series explores the evolution of “Theory of Mind” (ToM), the ability to impute mental states such as beliefs, desires, and intentions to oneself and others, and how ToM makes us uniquely human. Tetsuro Matsuzawa (Kyoto Univ) begins with a discussion about “Mind Reading” in Chimpanzees, followed by Juliane Kaminski (Univ of Portsmouth, UK) on Comparing Apes and Dogs, and Diana Reiss (Hunter College, CUNY) on Reflections of Dolphin and Elephant Minds. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 25935]

This CARTA series explores the evolution of “Theory of Mind” (ToM), the ability to impute mental states such as beliefs, desires, and intentions to oneself and others, and how ToM makes us uniquely human. Ralph Adolphs (Caltech) begins with a discussion about the definition of ToM, followed by Jessica Sommerville (Univ of Washington) on the Emergence of Theory of Mind in Human Babies, and Sarah-Jayne Blakemore (University College London) on The Social Brain in Adolescence. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 25934]

In this presentation from CARTA’s Human and Non-Human Culture Symposium, Jonathan Friedman (UC San Diego) discusses “The Cultural as Emergent Order: What Francois Jacob Tells Claude Levi-Strauss.” Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 17828]

In this presentation from CARTA’s Human and Non-Human Culture Symposium, Susan Perry (UCLA) discusses “Social Learning and Traditions in Wild Capuchin Monkeys.” Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 17823]

In this presentation from CARTA’s Human and Non-Human Culture Symposium, Rupert Stasch (UC San Diego) discusses “Cultural Reflexivity in Human Cultures.” Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 17822]