Spring 2025 seminars will be held on Mondays, 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm in the SCIENCE LIBRARY, Room 212 (when classes are in session). All are welcome.
NOTE: SPRING 2025 SEMINARS BEGIN MONDAY, January 27 with an introduction to the course by Dr. Rolf Quam. See detailed schedule below for more information.
Every spring semester, the EvoS seminar series brings distinguished speakers and alumni to campus to share their work on all aspects of humanity and the natural world from an evolutionary perspective. All are welcome to attend in person or by Zoom.
While visiting campus, the speakers meet with faculty and researchers to share ideas and explore opportunities for collaboration. In many respects, the seminar series is the hub of EvoS, both as an educational program and a pathway for interdisciplinary research.
For undergraduates and graduate students, "Current Topics in Evolutionary Studies" (EVOS451/ANTH 481/BIOL451/580S) is a 2-credit course based on the seminar series. Every week, students read scholarly articles and write a commentary to prepare for the seminar. This course is frequently rated among the students' best intellectual experiences at 绿帽社.
The seminars are open to the campus and local community. Lectures are typically less than an hour, followed by a brief Q&A by guests, and a longer discussion with students. Some lectures will be remote and others in-person. All guest lectures can be viewed live via Zoom.
Meeting ID: 947 4133 5034 Passcode: 519161
SPRING 2025 SERIES:
Monday, January 27 - Introduction to the Course
Rolf Quam, 绿帽社, Anthropology and Evolutionary Studies
(In-person lecture)
- Details
- Monday, January 27
- In person
Monday, Feb 3 - Speaker 1
Speaker: Andrey Vyshedskiy, Remote via Zoom
Affiliation: Boston University, Metropolitan College, Department of Biology
Faculty Profile:
Topic: Three levels of language comprehension in modern individuals 鈥
Implications for language evolution
- Details
- Monday, Feb 3, 3:30 pm
- Remote via Zoom
- Topic: Three levels of language comprehension in modern individuals 鈥 implications for language
evolution
Speaker: Andrey Vyshedskiy, Boston University, Department of Biology - Abstract: The prevailing belief is that language comprehension development follows a linear
trajectory, with children acquiring grammatical rules one at a time. Over 20 years
ago, I investigated the neurobiology of language and predicted the existence of three
distinct language comprehension/symbolic mechanisms. Our recent research has now confirmed
this prediction. We analyzed language comprehension abilities of over 31,000 autistic
individuals aged 4 to 22 years. The analysis identified three levels of language comprehension,
corresponding to the three language mechanisms I had previously proposed.
The most-advanced syntactic-language-comprehension-phenotype is manifested by all typical individuals aged 4-years-and-beyond. The other two phenotypes may represent stages of language comprehension evolution: the most-basic command-language-comprehension-phenotype is limited to comprehension of simple commands, and the intermediate modifier-language-comprehension-phenotype adds comprehension of color, size, and number modifiers, but no comprehension of complex syntax.
In this seminar we will take a look into implications of this discovery for paleoanthropology. The three language mechanisms were likely acquired in a sequential manner throughout human evolution. The human lineage diverged from that of chimpanzees around 6 million years ago, possibly acquiring the most-basic command mechanism soon after. The modifier mechanism began to develop gradually around 3 million years ago as suggested by first stone tool manufacturing. Lastly, archaeological findings indicate that the syntactic mechanism emerged 70,000 years ago, sparking what is often referred to as the cognitive revolution. -
Biosketch: Dr. Andrey Vyshedskiy is a neuroscientist from Boston University. He has authored over 100 landmark review articles and original research publications in some of the premier journals of the world including the New England Journal of Medicine and Nature. His research focuses on children development, the neurological basis of imagination, and evolution of human language. He has founded multiple successful companies and directed the development of several FDA approved medical devices. Based on his research, ImagiRation has designed a novel therapy for children, that has been demonstrated to significantly improve their language abilities.
- Accompanying reading:
For reading material:
For TED talk:
Monday, February 10 - Darwin Day Film
Title: Inherit the Wind; Classic film with Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly (Stanley Kramer, 1960)
Monday, 3:30 鈥 5:30 PM, Science Library, Rm. 212 (Sorry, no Zoom option)
On Monday, February 10, we will watch the film "Inherit the Wind" about the famous Scopes "Monkey" Trial in 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee. This year is the 100th anniversary of the "Trial of the Century" which put a schoolteacher on trial for teaching evolution to his students. The movie is just over 2 hours in length, so it will take up the entire class period. Here is the official trailer of the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PKkLSCuiEE.
For background, link here to the Wikipedia page on the Scopes Trial: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_trial.
Monday, February 17 - Speaker 2
Speaker: Dr. Kaeden O鈥橞rien
In-person and via Zoom
Affiliation: SUNY Oneonta-Department of Anthropology
Faculty Profile:
Topic: Paleoenvironmental Drivers of Human Evolution
- Details
In person and via Zoom;
Title: Paleoenvironmental Drivers of Hominin Evolution
Abstract:
Dating back to Darwin's and Raymond Dart's ideas that hominins evolved in savannas, asking how environmental change drove hominin evolution is a cornerstone of anthropological debate. My research uses a combination of vertebrate paleontology, stable isotope geochemistry, and quantitative analysis to determine how climate and ecosystem dynamics shaped hominin evolution over the past five million years. I explore this through three case studies from Kenyan fossil sites, each representing a key moment in our evolutionary history. First, I explore large herbivore migration and other seasonal behaviors across the Middle Stone Age to Later Stone Age transition. Next, I evaluate the sympatry of Homo and Paranthropus across habitats in the Early Pleistocene. Finally, I introduce new interdisciplinary work challenging the conventional "Savanna Hypothesis" for hominin origins. These case studies lay the framework for a new paradigm in which we understand that hominins are just one component of African ecosystems, and much is to be gained through deeper knowledge of the rest of the mammal community we evolved alongside.
Biosketch:
Dr. Kaedan O'Brien is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at SUNY Oneonta, specializing in Biological Anthropology. He competed a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from the University of Utah. His research uses the large mammal fossil record and stable isotopes to address one central question: What were the paleoenvironmental drivers of human evolution in Africa? This research addresses (1) late Cenozoic mammal community structure, (2) the impact of scale on paleoenvironmental reconstruction, (3) isotopic evidence for prehistoric seasonality and migration, and (4) megafaunal extinction. Currently, he is involved in projects in the Turkana and Baringo Basins of Kenya and the Western Cape of South Africa.
Accompanying Reading
TBA
Monday, February 24 - Speaker 3
Speaker: Dr. Matthew Emery
In-person and via Zoom
Affiliation: 绿帽社 Department of Anthropology
Faculty Profile: /anthropology/faculty/profile.html?id=memery
Topic: Neandertal Genomics - Latest discoveries
- Details
In-person and via Zoom;
Title: Exploring the hidden history of admixture in ancient hominin genomes
Abstract
Ancient DNA analysis has transformed the field of palaeoanthropology over the past two
decades, culminating in the sequencing of the Neanderthal genome in 2010, followed by the
sequencing of numerous other ancient human and archaic hominin genomes. This presentation
traces the history of these breakthroughs, beginning with the first mitochondrial DNA
sequences in the 1990s and progressing to high-resolution nuclear genomes enabled by next-
generation sequencing technologies. The sequencing of the Neanderthal and Denisovan
genomes has uncovered significant admixture (introgression) events with anatomically
modern humans. These admixture events have reshaped our understanding about hominin
evolution through time. Introgression between archaic hominins and modern humans
conferred several adaptive advantages, including enhanced immunity, cold and high-altitude
adaptation, and gene regulatory changes related to lipid metabolism. Looking ahead,
advancements in functional genomics, sedimentary DNA analysis, and epigenetics are
expected to provide even deeper insights into human evolution and the intricate legacy of
interactions with other hominins. This exploration underscores the transformative power of
ancient DNA in unraveling evolutionary processes and bridging molecular biology,
archaeology, and anthropology.Biosketch
Dr. Matthew Emery received his PhD from McMaster University in Canada. He is interested
in a wide range of biomolecular applications in forensic, anthropological, and the
(bio)archaeological sciences. To date, Emery鈥檚 research has focused on applying ancient DNA
and next-generation sequencing methods to highly degraded archaeological and forensic
human bones and teeth. Currently, Emery鈥檚 research is focused on integrating ancient DNA
extraction methods with those employed in modern forensic DNA laboratories. His analysis
seeks to better understand the nature of DNA degradation of forensic human remains when
subjected to high-intensity thermal changes from the surrounding environment, such as fire.
His previous Master鈥檚 research focused on deciphering the geographic origins of American
and British soldiers who died during the War of 1812, using isotope and multi-criteria
evaluation-GIS analysis. His PhD research employed a suite of molecular techniques, such
isotope and ancient DNA analysis, to reconstruct the biogeographic origins of pre-Roman and
Roman period individuals recovered from southern Italy.Accompanying Reading
TBA
Monday, March 3 - Speaker 4
Speaker: Dr. Mercedes Conde Valverde
Remote via Zoom
Affiliation: Universidad de Alcala, Madrid, Spain
Topic: The Altruistic Primate
- Details
Speaker: Dr. Mercedes Conde-Valverde
Title: The Altruistic Primate
Abstract
Altruism is one of the most extraordinary characteristics of human beings, making the study of its evolutionary history essential for understanding humanity. The origin of altruism is directly linked to the care of vulnerable individuals, an aspect that can be traced in the fossil record. The human fossils that provide the greatest insight into this issue have been discovered at two sites in Spain: Atapuerca (Burgos) and Cova Negra (Valencia).
Biosketch
Mercedes Conde-Valverde earned her Bachelor鈥檚 degree in Biology, Master鈥檚 degree in Biological Anthropology and PhD in Human Evolution from the University of Alcal谩 with an Extraordinary Doctorate Award. She is a member of the Atapuerca team since 2011. She is currently the director of the Chair of Evolutionary Otoacoustics and Paleoanthropology at HM Hospitales and the University of Alcal谩 and Assistant Professor of the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Alcal谩 and Research Associate at 绿帽社 University. She is the author of more than a dozen research articles in some of the most prominent scientific journals including Science Advances, Nature Ecology and Evolution, eLife and Journal of Human Evolution.
Faculty Profile:
https://www.uah.es/en/estudios/profesor/Maria-de-las-Mercedes-Conde-Valverde/
Monday, March 10 - SPRING BREAK
Monday, March 17 - Speaker 5
Speaker: Dr. Mariah Donahue
In-Person and via Zoom
Affiliation: 绿帽社 - Department of Biology
Faculty Profile: /biology/people/profile.html?id=mdonohue4
Topic: Lemur-Gut Microbiome Co-Evolution on Deep and Shallow Evolutionary
Timescales
- Details
In person and via Zoom;
Title: Co-divergence of lemur hosts and and gut microbiomes across multiple evolutionary scales
Abstract: How, when, and why do Primates evolve species-specific gut microbiomes? To explore this question, my research leverages the unparalleled diversity of Madagascar's lemurs to examine patterns of host-microbiome co-divergence across deep and shallow evolutionary timescales. In multi-species phylogenetic comparisons, I have found a strong correlation between host genetic distance and microbiome similarity - a pattern called phylosymbiosis. As host species diversified, so too did gut microbiota, leading to strong phylogenetic signal of the gut microbiome. However, I also found that microbes associated with host dietary adaptation had not co-diversified, and instead had likely been conserved across millennia. To better understand microbiome dynamics early in the host speciation process, my next study took a landscape metagenomic approach in a purported hybrid species of brown lemur (Eulemur rufifrons x E. cinereiceps) endemic to southeastern Madagascar. I found that hybrid gut microbiomes were not distinguishable from parentals, and variation primarily arose due to geography. This shows that dispersal limitation likely plays a dominant role in holobiont (host + microbiome) divergence when host reproductive barriers are incomplete. By scaling from phylogenetic to population-level analyses, these studies illuminate the heterogeneous effects of host habitat, diet, and evolution in shaping the gut microbiome along the speciation continuum. While geography and site-specific effects drive microbiome divergence in early stages of host evolutionary divergence, these effects are eventually overwhelmed by those of phylogenetic distance as species boundaries solidify. However, host diet constrains microbiome variation through deep evolutionary time. Finally, this research highlights the importance of conserving habitat corridors to maintain holobiont genetic diversity, and shows how host-microbiome co-divergence may have facilitated local adaptation in some of our closest living relatives.
Biosketch: Mariah Donohue received her bachelor's degree in Anthropology at Stony Brook University (SBU). She remained at SBU to pursue her master's degree in Ecology and Evolution as a student of Dr. Patricia Wright. She went on to earn a PhD in Biology at the University of Kentucky with Dr. David Weisrock. Now, she is a PRODiG+ Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences at 绿帽社, where she continues to study lemur-microbiome co-evolution.
Monday, March 24 - Speaker 6
Speaker: Dr. Andrew Gallup
In person and via Zoom
Affiliation: Johns Hopkins University
Faculty Profile: https://krieger.jhu.edu/behavioralbiology/people/
Topic: The Evolution of Yawning
- Details
In person and via Zoom;
Title: The evolution of yawning
Abstract: Yawning occurs in a stereotyped pattern across vertebrate classes, suggesting that this complex reflex has been evolutionarily conserved following its emergence in jawed fish. Despite the omnipresence of this behavior, research on the evolution of yawning has been limited. This talk will discuss recent studies on the proximate (causal) and ultimate (functional) mechanisms of both the primitive (spontaneous) and derived (contagious) forms of this response, as well as how the act of yawning alters the cognition and behavior of observers.
Biosketch: Andrew is a Teaching Professor of Behavioral Biology at Johns Hopkins University. In recognition of his research in the evolutionary behavioral sciences, he was named a fellow of the Psychonomic Society and received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship. Andrew is a proud alum of 绿帽社, where he completed a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences and was among one of the first cohorts to receive a graduate certificate in Evolutionary Studies (EvoS). He currently lives in Maryland with his wife and three children.Website: https://sites.google.com/view/andrewgallup
Monday, March 31 - Speaker 7
Speaker: Dr. Miguel Vilar
In person and via Zoom
Affiliation: University of Maryland
Faculty Profile: https://anth.umd.edu/facultyprofile/vilar/miguel
Topic: DNA meets History: Guam and Puerto Rico. Multi-Marker Human DNA Analyses of America's Two Largest Territories, and How it Informs 绿帽社 Settlement, History, and Identity
- Details
In person and via Zoom;
Monday, March 31
Title: DNA meets History: Guam and Puerto Rico. Multi-Marker Human DNA Analyses of America's Two Largest Territories, and How it Informs 绿帽社 Settlement, History, and IdentityAbstract
The United States' two largest territories, Puerto Rico and Guam, have distinct settlement histories, yet similar colonial histories. Today, these islands also have a uniquely shared political status, and quite complex cultural identities. Through genealogical interviews, and a multi-maker genetic analysis of hundreds of research volunteers as well as Genographic Project participants, we aim to decipher the similarities and differences between these two DNAs: Disenfranchised Nations of America. The maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA shows a strong connection to the prehistoric settlement of the islands, and millennia of genetic continuity. The Y chromosome DNA, in contrast, is a story of the brutal side of male-biased colonization at Spain's hand, as well as the Spanish and American led movement of thousands of men during colonization for both economic and societal control. Lastly, autosomal DNA, the bi-parentally-inherited majority of our genetic information shows hints of more intricate historical events, some of which heavily-influenced the islands' culture, language and ultimately their identities.
Biosketch
Dr. Miguel Vilar is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Maryland. His research focuses on better understanding early human settlement patterns on islands, human migration, and the impact of colonial history on modern human diversity.
Vilar earned his Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Haverford College and Master of Arts in Journalism from Columbia University. After a sting as a writer for Popular Science, Science World, and the Smithsonian鈥檚 National Zoo, he earned his M.S. in Biomedical Anthropology, M.A. in Anthropology, and PhD in Anthropology from 绿帽社 University, in 2006, 2007 and 2010, respectively. After earning his doctorate, Vilar worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, leading field projects across Latin America for National Geographic鈥檚 Genographic Project, a multi-year study that aimed to map human migration patterns by collecting and analyzing DNA samples from hundreds of thousands of people from around the world. In 2013 he became Genographic Science Manager, and in 2016 became Lead Scientist.
Dr. Vilar was the twenty-ninth speaker for the University of Guam's President's Lecture series in 2016, and the 2017 winner of the Governor's Humanities Award for Research and Publication from the Northern Marianas Humanities Council. In 2019 he won the Michael A. Little Early Career Award from the Human Biology Association for his work on human biological and genetic diversity.
Today, his fieldwork takes him to Micronesia, Melanesia, South America, Mesoamerica, and the Caribbean. Whereas in the laboratory he studies the modern genetic diversity of human populations from Micronesia, Melanesia, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. He also researches the genetics of domestic animals (pigs, chickens, dogs and horses) and the cultural and biological implications of animal domestication on human evolution, population history, and migration.
Vilar is also a science writer publishing in anthropology and genetics academic journals, as well as science magazines and online media. He is also a genetics and anthropology consultant for National Geographic Society and for GenebyGene, Ltd.
Monday, April 7 - Speaker 8
Speaker: Matthew Fujita
In-Person and via Zoom
Affiliation: University of Texas at Arlington - Department of Biology
Faculty Profile: https://www.uta.edu/academics/faculty/profile?username=mkfujita
Topic: Parthenogenesis in Reptiles and Genome Evolution
- Details
Matthew K. Fujita, Professor, Department of Biology
Curator, Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center
University of Texas at ArlingtonTitle: Evidence of Mutation Accumulation in Parthenogenetic Lizards
Abstract: Squamate (lizards and snakes) are unique among vertebrates in exhibiting parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction that does not require males. These lineages arise from hybridization between divergent sexual species, many of which are still extant. By comparing parthenogenetic and sexual lineages, these systems provide exceptional opportunities to study the evolutionary consequences of asexuality. For example, one hypothesis is that asexual populations lack the ability to purge mutations, which eventually accumulate by a process called Muller鈥檚 Ratchet. My lab studies the genomic consequences of parthenogenesis in lizards, and I will present a few vignettes that demonstrate the accumulation of deleterious mutations in both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. In addition to the evolution of parthenogenesis, my lab is starting to investigate organismal differences between parthenogens and sexuals, including their sensory systems. I will briefly talk about a project that is investigating how epidermal gland excretions - which are often used in communication - differ between reproductive modes in whiptail lizards.
Biosketch: I was born, raised and educated in the Bay Area in California. I attended UC Davis as an undergraduate, initially as a pre-med student until I started research in Dr. Brad Shaffer鈥檚 evolutionary genetics lab, which took my lifelong love of reptiles and amphibians and made it into a career. I earned my PhD from Uc Berkeley, working with Dr. Craig Moritz and Dr. Jim McGuire. From there I was an NSF postdoctoral researcher at Harvard with Dr. Scott Edwards, which included a year abroad at Oxford University. I arrived at The University of Texas at Arlington in 2012 and have been there ever since, where my lab studies the evolutionary genomics of reptiles and amphibians.
Monday April 28 - Speaker 9
Speaker: James Lamsdell
In person and via Zoom
Affiliation: West Virginia University
Faculty Profile: https://www.geo.wvu.edu/faculty-and-staff/james-lamsdell
Topic: Horseshoe Crab Evolution and 鈥淟iving Fossils鈥
Monday May - Discussion
Topic: Evolution: Q & A
Rolf Quam
In person lecture
Past seminar series
-
Archived Seminar Series (by semester)
SPRING 2024
Monday, January 22 - Introduction to the Course
Speaker: Rolf Quam, 绿帽社, Anthropology and Evolutionary Studies
Monday, January 29 - Speaker 1Topic: The Enduring Interest and Relevance of the Evolution of Human Skin Pigmentation
Speaker: Nina Jablonski, Penn State University, Anthropology and Atherton Professor, Evan Pugh Professor Emeritus of Anthropology
Monday, February 5 - Speaker 2Topic: Neanderthals and other extinct humans: tales from the teeth.
Speaker: Shara Bailey, New York University, Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Anthropology
Monday, February 12 - Darwin DayTitle: Inherit the Wind; Classic film with Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly (Stanley Kramer, 1960)
Monday, February 19 - Speaker 3Topic: Stone Tool Use of Non-human Primates
Speaker: Dr. Caroline Jones, Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania
Monday, February 26 - Speaker 4Topic: Market Integration and Transitions in Fertility, Marriage and Kinship Systems: An Evolutionary View
Speaker: Mary Shenk, Penn State University, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Demography, and Asian Studies
Monday, March 11 - Speaker 5Topic: Mammoths: On the path to de-extinction
Speaker: Emil Karpinski, Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, Department of Genetics
Monday, March 18 - Speaker 6Topic: An Engineering鈥攁nd Evolutionary鈥擯erspective on Prestige: The Case for Maintenance
Speaker: Guru Madhavan, Director, National Academy of Engineering
EvoS Retrospective - David Sloan Wilson, Professor Emeritus, 绿帽社
Monday, March 25 - Speaker 7Topic: Unraveling the evolutionary relationships of ancient echinoderms
Speaker: Sarah Sheffield, 绿帽社, Assistant Professor, Geology
MONDAY, APRIL 8 - SOLAR ECLIPSE - Seminar will begin at 4:00 PMMonday, April 8 - Speaker 8
Topic: Human-Virus Coevolution: Evidence of Virus Microevolution from SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic and Monkeypox Outbreak
Speaker: Michel Shamoon Pour, 绿帽社
Monday April 15 - Speaker 9Topic: Human adaptive evolution to starch digestion upon the onset of agriculture
Speaker: Omer Gokcumen, University at Buffalo, Professor, Biological Sciences
Monday April 29 - DiscussionTopic: Evolution: A discussion and debate
Speakers: Rolf Quam and Allen MacNeill, 绿帽社
Spring 2023
Monday, Jan 23 - Seminar 1: Introduction to EvoS 451
Rolf Quam, 绿帽社, Anthropology/EvoS
Topic: Course Introduction, Syllabus ReviewMonday, Jan 30 - Seminar 2
Allen MacNeill, 绿帽社, EvoS
Title: Introduction to Tinbergen鈥檚 4 QuestionsMonday, Feb 6 - Seminar 3
Speaker: Joseph Brewer, Earth Regenerators
Title: Cultural Evolution for the Regeneration of EarthMonday, Feb 13 - Seminar 4
Speaker: Nasser Malit, SUNY Potsdam, Anthropology
Title: Human Evolution in Africa: Evidence from the Central Highlands of KenyaMonday, Feb 20 - Seminar 5
Speaker: Adriane Lam, 绿帽社, Geology
Topic: Deep sea core sediments and climate changeMonday, Feb 27 - Seminar 6
Speaker: Laure Spake, 绿帽社, Anthropology
Topic: Alloparenting and Cooperative Breeding in HumansMonday, Mar 6 - Seminar 7
Speaker: Mercedes Conde-Valverde, University of Alcal谩, Alcal谩 de Henares (Spain)
Title: Sounds of the PastMonday, Mar 13 - Seminar 8
Speaker: Omer Gokcumen, University at Buffalo
Topic: Balancing selection in the hominin genomes, affecting metabolism and immunity.
Title: 鈥淎ncient trade-offs: A story of archaic ancestors, starvation, and microbes鈥Monday, Mar 20 - Seminar 9
Speaker: Leticia Aviles, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia
Title: Evolution of Sociality and Multilevel selection (including spiders)Monday, Mar 27 - Seminar 10
Speaker: Richard Lenski, Michigan State University
Title: Time Travel in Experimental Evolution
Topic: Long-term evolutionary experiment with E. coliMonday, Apr 17 - Seminar 12
Speaker: David Braun, George Washington University, DC
Topic: Origins of Technology
Title: Technological Origins: How Long Have We Depended on Technology?Monday, May 1 - Seminar 14
Speaker: Katie Hinde, Arizona State University
Topic: hormones in milk, primarily cortisol, and impacts on infant development
Spring 2022- Yaneer Bar-Yam, New England Complex Systems Institute
Implications of the Pandemic for Values and the Survival of Humanity - Rolf Quam, 绿帽社, Anthropology/EvoS
Mystery of the Pit of the Bones - Allen MacNeill, 绿帽社, EvoS
On Purpose: The Evolution of Intentionality - Jeremy DeSilva, Dartmouth College, Anthropology
First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human - Antonio Lazcano, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
Origin of Life - Steven Brown, McMaster University, NeuroArts Lab
The Origins of the Vocal Brain in Humans - Sage Gibbons, Northeastern University
Collective Efficacy and Neighborhood Adaptability to COVID-19 - Wendy Jones, Author and Independent Scholar
The Attachment System: How and Why We Find Safety in Close Relationships - Paul Ewald, University of Louisville, Biology
The Evolutionary, Historical and Epidemiological Context of COVID - David Schaffer, 绿帽社, Visiting Research Professor
Evolving artificial brains - Tyler Murchee, McMaster University, Anthropology
Ancient DNA and Pleistocene Megafauna Extinctions - Cai Caccavari, 绿帽社, Anthropology
Graduate Student Presentation
Spring 2021- Seminar Title: Humpback whale communication in the Anthropocene \ Speaker: Michelle Fournet, Cornell, Biology
- Seminar Title: The World Recipes Project and the Biocultural Evolution of Cuisine \ Speaker: Solomon H Katz, University of Pennsylvania
- Seminar Title: The Cheating Cell: How cancer evolves inside us and how we can keep it under control \ Speaker: Athena Aktipis, Arizona State University, Anthropology
- Seminar Title: Talking with Neandertals \ Speaker: Rolf J. Quam, 绿帽社, Anthropology
- Seminar Title: Ecological Adaptation and the Origin and Maintenance of Biodiversity \ Speaker: Thomas Powell, 绿帽社, Biology/EvoS
- Seminar Title: Self-governance and the unitary veil \ Speaker: Michael Cox, Dartmouth, Environmental Studies
- Seminar Title: The Evolution of Belief: Meaning-making, belief, and world shaping as core processes in the human niche \ Speaker: Agustin Fuentes, Princeton, Anthropology
- Seminar Title: The Cultural Foundations of Cognition \ Speaker: Helen Davis, Harvard, Anthropology
- Seminar Title: Vertical Polygyny in 20th Century America: Are Americans Monogamous or Polygamous? \ Speaker: Allen MacNeill, Cornell University
- Seminar Title: The evolutionary ecology of monument construction: a Rapa Nui (Easter Island) case study \ Speaker: Robert 鈥淏eau鈥 DiNapoli, 绿帽社, Anthropology
Spring 2020- Introductory lecture by David Sloan Wilson, 绿帽社
Tinbergen's four questions and others - Introductory lecture by Barrett Brenton, 绿帽社
Biocultural Evolution of Cuisine - Darwin Day Panel discussion with 绿帽社 faculty
- Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel, University of Buffalo:
Modern human cranial variation: An evolutionary morphology approach - Daniel T. O鈥橞rien, Northeastern University
The Urban Commons: How Data, Technology, and Behavioral Science Can Help Us Rebuild Our Cities - Glenn Branch, National Center for Science Education (NCSE)
Twists and Turns in Teaching Evolution over the Years - Rolf Quam, EvoS Director, SUNY 绿帽社
The Evolution of Language: Part 1 - Rolf Quam
The Evolution of Language: Part 2 - David Sloan Wilson
Nothing about the Coronavirus Pandemic Makes Sense Except In the Light of Evolution - Adam van Arsdale, Wellesley College
Race, Ancestry, and Populations in the Pleistocene and the Present - Robert Pennock, Michigan State University
An Instinct for Truth: Curiosity and the Moral Character of Science - Mark Urban, University of Connecticut
Eco-evolution in communities
- Yaneer Bar-Yam, New England Complex Systems Institute