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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260413T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260413T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20251120T234637Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260401T220058Z
UID:237769-1776081600-1776087000@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Eva Jablonka\, Prof. Emerita\, Tel Aviv Univ.: Evolutionary Theory and the Unification of Life Sciences in the 21st Century. Frank Marlowe Memorial lecture.
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: I argue that the changes in our current view of evolutionary theory are leading to a new unification of life-sciences\, which is occurring\, seemingly paradoxically\, within the context of their increased specialization and fracturing.  Unlike the modern evolutionary synthesis of the 20th century (the MS) which claimed that selection is the only direction-giving process in evolution\, the current synthesis incorporates not only new biological domains but also processes that were excluded by the MS. I consider two aspects of this unification: the first is the synthesis between development and heredity\, which involves enrichment of both notions and is leading to important changes in our view of evolution\, discussed within the framework of the extended evolutionary synthesis (EES). The second aspect is the study of mental processes stemming from research into the evolutionary origins and effects of consciousness. I argue that these developments enable the construction of a unifying evolutionary framework for the expanding domain of 21st century life sciences\, which is becoming based on broader and richer views of heredity\, adaptation and cognition. \nZoom link: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584\nPasscode: 308291 \n  \nThere will also be  an art exhibit and reception by Anna Zeligowska featuring the art from Eva Jablnoka’s books from 5:30-7PM in Dodd 321. Food will be served at that evening event and members of the BEC community are welcome.
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/eva-jablonka-prof-emeritus-tel-aviv-univ/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260410T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260410T180000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20260401T220004Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260401T220004Z
UID:238622-1775836800-1775844000@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Dr. Eva Jablonka\, Professor emerita\, Tel-Aviv University: The Evolution of Animal Consciousness. Hosted by the UCLA Dept. of Philosophy
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \nThe study of animal consciousness is becoming a respectable domain of study\, which has implications for neuroscience\, evolutionary biology and ethics. In this lecture I discuss the theoretical commitments of different naturalistic approaches to animal consciousness and point to markers of consciousness. I suggest that an approach focusing on cognitive capacities in humans that were shown by contrastive experiments (comparing conscious and non-conscious perception) to require consciousness is a good starting point for the search for consciousness markers in non-human animals. However\, the choice of contrastive experiments that are deemed relevant for animals is theory-dependent. I present an evolutionary approach suggesting that consciousness is the outcome of the evolution of a complex form of associative learning (unlimited associative learning\, UAL)\, and that the cognitive architecture that evolved to enable this kind of learning is the architecture of minimal consciousness. This theory provides a framework for observational and experimental studies in animals and has many testable predictions. I end by discussing the implications of the evolutionary approach for consciousness studies and for research in evolutionary biology. \n  \nRoyce Hall 306 \nRSVP necessary: \n\n“The Evolution of Animal Consciousness” – Eva Jablonka\, Prof. Emeritus\, Tel Aviv University \n\n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/dr-eva-jablonka-professor-emerita-tel-aviv-university-the-evolution-of-animal-consciousness-hosted-by-the-ucla-dept-of-philosophy/
LOCATION:Royce Hall\, 10745 Dickson Plaza\, Los Angeles\, CA\, 90095\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260330T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260330T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20251120T234505Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T143544Z
UID:237766-1774872000-1774877400@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Joan Silk\, School of Human Evolution and Social Change\, ASU. Title: New Perspectives on Male Parenting in Primates: Insights from Baboons
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \nIn virtually all human societies\, men and women form stable pair bonds\, male reproductive skew is low\, children receive considerable care and resources from both of their parents\, and nuclear families are part of a set progressively larger social units that commonly include kin\, affines\, and unrelated members of the same ethnic group. Understanding of the evolution of this suite of traits is problematic because the most recent common ancestor of humans and the genus Pan probably did not share any of these features. However\, a growing body of data from studies of living primates suggest that there may be multiple pathways to the evolution of male paternal care and extended breeding bonds\, and provide a broader foundation for thinking about the evolution of human reproductive strategies. My research group has been exploring the trade-offs between mating and parenting effort for male olive baboons\, a species with relatively high male reproductive skew and a polygynadrous mating system. Our data provide evidence of behavioural trade-offs between mating effort and parenting effort for males\, changes in allocation of mating and parenting effort across the life course\, and the existence of enduring reproductive bonds. I will describe these data and their implications for understanding the evolution of the unusual set of traits that characterize our own species. \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584\nPasscode: 308291
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/joan-silk-school-of-human-evolution-and-social-change-asu/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260309T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260309T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20251120T234334Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260209T192723Z
UID:237763-1773057600-1773063000@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Olympia Campbell\, Institute for Advanced Studies\, Toulouse. Title: Cousin marriage\, women’s welfare\, and accelerated family formation
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:Cousin marriage\, practised by over 10% of the world’s population\, restructures kinship networks by overlapping blood and affinal ties. Theory makes competing predictions about how this affects women. “Protection” accounts argue that consanguinity aligns spouses’ interests and increases kin oversight\, reducing coercion. “Constraint” accounts emphasise that dense kin involvement can prioritise family cohesion over women’s autonomy\, suppressing help-seeking. Using demographic data from ~40\,000 women across Egypt\, Jordan\, Pakistan\, and Turkey\, I show that cousin-married women report significantly lower levels of both physical intimate partner violence and coercive control than women in non-consanguineous unions. \nIn the second half\, I examine whether cousin marriage accelerates family formation by reducing search and transaction costs. Marrying kin may eliminate protracted spouse searches and simplify negotiations\, lowering age at first marriage. Using demographic data from the same four countries I test whether cousin marriage reduces age at marriage and increases completed fertility. A fertility advantage could offset genetic costs of inbreeding\, potentially explaining the evolutionary persistence of consanguineous marriage. \n\nZoom link: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584\nPasscode: 308291
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/sara-lowes-economics-ucsd/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260223T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260223T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20251120T234219Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260101T222034Z
UID:237760-1771848000-1771853400@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Greg Grether\, EEB\, UCLA\, Title: Behavioral interference between species
DESCRIPTION:Aggression and reproductive interference are common forms of behavioral interference between closely related species. These interactions often arise as incidental byproducts of everyday activities such as defending resources or competing for mates. Yet\, although they resemble familiar within-species behaviors\, their ecological and evolutionary consequences can be quite different when they occur between species. Behavioral interference can strongly influence whether species are able to coexist at all\, and if they do\, how they subsequently evolve in response to one another through natural selection. Such interactions were likely part of human evolutionary history and may even help explain why Homo sapiens is the sole surviving species in the genus Homo. In this talk\, however\, I focus on what we know with greater certainty about behavioral interference in other animals. Why does behavioral interference persist if it is costly at the population level? How does it influence species’ geographic ranges\, the spread of invasive species\, or the persistence of endangered species? What evidence do we have that behavioral interference drives evolutionary change? Drawing on examples from across the literature as well as from my own research\, I will address these questions and strive to offer a balanced perspective on the causes and consequences of behavioral interference. \nZoom link for those attending remotely: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584\nPasscode: 308291
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/greg-grether-eeb-ucla/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260209T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260209T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20251120T234134Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260101T222338Z
UID:237756-1770638400-1770643800@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Amy Non\, Dept of Anthropology\, UCSD. Title: Novel markers of stress in early life: sex ratios\, preterm births\, and milk miRNAs. Via Zoom
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \nThe theory of developmental origins of health and disease predicts pregnancy and infancy to be sensitive early periods of development with long term impacts on trajectories of growth and health across the life course. At a population level\, preterm births have been linked to stressful group events\, including natural disasters and sociopolitical stressors. Similarly\, sex ratios (male births/total live births) have been altered among mammals birthing in adverse environments\, a theory termed the Trivers-Willard Hypothesis. Shifting sex ratios may be an adaptive strategy that also applies to humans\, which have shown to favor female offspring among populations birthing in poor conditions\, given their more reliable chance of reproductive success. After birth\, lactation is another sensitive period during which mothers transmit nutrition\, hormones\, and other bioactive molecules to their offspring\, which may help shape strategies for growth and development. MicroRNAs are small noncoding segments of RNA that regulate gene expression and are highly abundant in milk. In this talk\, I will discuss research from my lab group on the influence of the early COVID-19 pandemic\, a nationwide stressor\, on patterns of preterm births in the U.S. and sex ratios in the U.S. and Ireland. Additionally\, I will discuss the value of studying exosomal microRNAs in human milk as a novel biomarker of stress and mood\, potentially transmitting signals to offspring about maternal environmental conditions. \nZoom link: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584\nPasscode: 308291
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/amy-non-dept-of-anthropology-ucsd/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260126T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260126T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20251120T233938Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T205807Z
UID:237753-1769428800-1769434200@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Katie Starkweather\, UCSB. Title: Climate Change\, Women's Work\, and Child Health in Bangladeshi Shodagor Communities
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Climate change is a growing threat to population health globally\, with infants and young children living in low income and lower-and-middle income countries at particularly high risk of experiencing health and nutritional challenges. The sources of these challenges include alterations to breastfeeding practices\, decreased access to food\, due to lower crop and fishing yields and higher food prices\, and increased disease transmission\, as well as myriad other issues. In some cases\, women’s work may exacerbate challenges\, while in others it can buffer them\, and evolutionary theory provides a useful framework for understanding some of these nuanced differences. Traditionally boat-dwelling\, semi-nomadic Shodagor fisher-trader communities in rural Bangladesh are facing increasing exposure to extreme flooding and extreme heat. In my talk\, I will discuss recent studies examining the impacts of extreme weather on Shodagor children’s growth and nutritional outcomes. I will highlight the critical role that women’s work plays in shaping these outcomes\, including how work and breastfeeding practices interact in the face of extreme weather to influence child health. Finally\, I will discuss likely future implications for child growth and nutrition of continued increasing extreme weather events for Shodagor communities\, in Bangladesh\, and across the Global South. \nhttps://kathrinestarkweather.com/ \nZoom link: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584\nPasscode: 308291 \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/katie-starkweather-ucsb/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260105T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260105T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20251120T233756Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260101T222408Z
UID:237750-1767614400-1767619800@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Delaney Knorr\, Duke University -- Title: Evolutionary Constraints on Human Pregnancy: How Social Environments and Energetic Limits Shape Maternal-Fetal Health
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Human pregnancy is an energetically demanding and socially embedded process that requires mothers to balance competing physiological needs while maintaining fetal development. In this talk\, I integrate biocultural and mechanistic approaches to examine how social\, ecological\, and energetic environments become biologically embedded during gestation. Drawing on mixed-methods research with Latina women in the U.S.\, I show how neighborhood context\, discrimination\, and sociopolitical stress shape maternal psychological distress\, and how support from allomothers buffers these effects. I then present evidence from immunological and placental biology indicating that maternal stress is linked to reductions in regulatory T cells and placental extracellular vesicles\, revealing potential pathways through which social experience influences maternal-fetal communication and immune tolerance. Finally\, I discuss findings from a project measuring total energy expenditure in pregnancy using doubly labeled water to test whether physical activity and psychosocial stress push gestation toward a metabolic ceiling. Together\, this work highlights how social environments and energetic constraints jointly structure maternal-fetal trade-offs. \nZoom link for those unable to attend in person: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584\nPasscode: 308291 \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/delaney-knorr-duke-university/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251201T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251201T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20250821T023349Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251125T220536Z
UID:111377-1764590400-1764595800@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Katie Sayre\, UCSB - Title: "Loneliness and health: insights from the Tsimane Health and Life History Project"
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Loneliness as a public health concern has exploded in recent years. Recognition of its widespread prevalence and presumed recency have led to declarations that a “loneliness epidemic” faces industrialized populations. Changes to certain aspects of modern life—fewer face-to-face interactions\, more time spent alone\, more people living by themselves—are thought to exacerbate loneliness\, and imply that it may be a relatively recent phenomenon\, tied to capitalism and the market economy. Recent meta-analyses\, however\, suggest that adults in lower- and middle-income countries also experience loneliness\, despite living in socially embedded contexts. Still\, most research on loneliness and its behavioral and health correlates focuses primarily on those people living in higher-income countries. In this talk\, I will discuss recent work examining loneliness\, the social environment\, and health in Tsimane and Moseten forager-horticulturalists of Bolivia. This work challenges the concept that loneliness necessarily results from processes of the market economy\, and suggests that loneliness is not confined to industrialized settings but likely represents a shared aspect of human experience. \nZoom link for those unable to attend in person: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584 \nPasscode: 308291
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/katie-sayres-ucsb-title-tba/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251117T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251117T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20250821T023130Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251014T155116Z
UID:111372-1763380800-1763386200@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Bret Beheim\, MPI-EVAN - "Planck's Principle\, Price's Theorem and the Forces of Cultural Evolution" (via Zoom)
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: \nPhysicist Max Planck famously said that “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light\, but rather because its opponents eventually die”. This is basically a theory of human cultural change\, one rooted primarily in the mechanisms of differential recruitment\, inheritance and demography. If the Planck Principle (as it has come to be known) is a key explanatory force\, it has major implications for the study of cultural evolution\, which has instead traditionally focused on the role of social and individual learning (as people ‘see the light’). Although there have been several projects focusing on the role of demographic turnover in cultural evolution\, evidence to date has been mixed and equivocal. A key theoretical limitation has been the lack of a principled way to compare the relative strength of different forces of cultural evolution. \nTo solve this problem\, we adapt the method of *evolutionary decomposition* pioneered in mathematical demography\, which applies Price’s Theorem to trajectories of phenotypic change. Using a novel derivation of this approach tailored to historical archives of creative human culture\, we can measure (for the first time) the relatively explanatory strength of three categories of force in cultural evolution\, namely\, the entrances of new cohorts\, the process of attrition\, and the “changiness” of individuals over the course of their creative careers. Taking this to a variety of high-resolution longitudinal datasets\, including song lyrics\, board game strategies\, and stylistic themes in European literature and musical compositions\, we find strong evidence for the importance of population turnover and the entrance of new cohorts with splashy\, disruptive ideas. Rather than Planck’s formulation of cultural change “one funeral at a time”\, however\, we find instead many circumstances where cultural change occurs “one birth at a time”. We also find systematic differences in the relative strength of these three categories of force\, with some systems being driven by social learning and strategic adoption dynamics consistent with the canonical models of social learning\, while others being mostly characterized by the slower process of demographic replacement. Our results demonstrate the value of an expanded\, force-centric approach to studying long-term cultural change. \nZoom link: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584 \nPasscode: 308291
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/bret-beheim-mpi-evan-title-tba/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251103T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251103T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20250821T023020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251018T133347Z
UID:111369-1762171200-1762176600@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Richard Karban (UC-Davis) - Plant Communication and Individual Personalities
DESCRIPTION:This talk will attempt to answer three questions: 1) Do plants communicate about their risk of herbivory? 2) Do plants have individual personalities with respect to communication? 3) Why does this matter? \nBiologists have known for a long time that plants sense their environments and respond accordingly\, i.e.\, they exhibit “behavior.” Whether they communicate with each other with respect to their risk of being attacked by insect herbivores has been more controversial. We have found that sagebrush plants that are attacked by insects or mechanically damaged emit volatiles. Neighboring sagebrush plants sense these volatiles and increase their resistance to herbivory. Volatiles are required for this eavesdropping between individuals and between branches on a single individual. In the field\, this eavesdropping increased the survival of seedlings and the production of flowers and new shoots for older plants. Individual plants showed relatively stable tendencies in their emission of active cues and also in their responses to cues. In other words\, they showed tendencies that were consistent over time and also consistent across different situations\, i.e.\, they exhibited personalities. For example\, individuals that were good receivers were also good emitters. Recognizing that plants communicate via volatile cues expands our view of the sophisticated behaviors that plants are capable of. It may also allow us to design more effective pest management strategies. Recognizing that plants have individual personalities forces us to think about their past experiences and to consider correlations between behaviors. \n  \nZoom link for those unable to attend in person: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584 \nPasscode: 308291
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/richard-karban-uc-davis-title-tba/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251020T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251020T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20250821T022838Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251009T182103Z
UID:111364-1760961600-1760967000@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Stacy Rosenbaum (Univ. Michigan) - "The long arm of “childhood:” what can other primates teach us about the early life origins of aging and resiliency?"
DESCRIPTION:Early life experiences are widely thought to shape adult behavior\, health\, and fitness across the tree of life. The deep evolutionary roots of these “early life effects”—seen in organisms ranging from plants to primates—have sparked considerable interest in their biological underpinnings. While individual variation in responses to early life adversity is well recognized\, new research suggests that species-level differences may also be considerable. In this talk\, I present longitudinal data from wild savannah baboons and mountain gorillas showing that similar forms of early life adversity can have dramatically different outcomes depending on the species. I explore the socioecological factors that may drive this variation and discuss how these insights can inform our broader understanding of aging and resilience in primates\, including humans. \n  \nChange of plans: Our speaker will not be able to attend in person  and will give her talk via Zoom. \nEnrolled students are still expected to attend in person to watch the zoom presentation together (in 352 Haines Hall). We will still have individual meetings between the speaker and students. \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584 \nPasscode: 308291
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/stacy-rosenbaum-univ-michigan-title-tba/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250929T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250929T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20250821T022646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250925T185119Z
UID:111361-1759147200-1759152600@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Stephan Kaufhold\, UCSD.   Title: Situated Simian Minds: Why Context Matters for Modeling Primate Behavior
DESCRIPTION:Unlike humans\, who can maintain relationships and communities beyond temporal and spatial boundaries\, nonhuman primates’ relationships are fundamentally grounded in embodied\, immediate interactions. In this talk\, I present two empirical studies on resource conflicts in semi-naturalistic primate groups\, showing how their behavior and decision-making are best understood by considering social and ecological contexts. \nThe first study examines food transfers in socially housed orangutans. We found that transfer strategies (e.g.\, taking\, co-feeding\, requesting) are not independent events\, but dynamically calibrated by preceding interactions within dyads. \nThe second study investigates social tolerance in Japanese macaques\, using a hybrid computer vision approach to quantify how monkeys socially navigate in the presence of food resources. Macaques maintained greater-than-chance distances from conspecifics when entering a food-baited circle inside their enclosures. This was especially evident in subordinate males\, who took more circuitous routes and maximized their distance from others when approaching the resource in the presence of alpha males. Our results show how macaques’ movement trajectories are socially situated and balance social risk with resource access. \nI conclude by discussing how a relational\, situated approach is particularly important when designing machine learning datasets in primate research. By grounding models in function and context\, we can advance our understanding of primate behavior and communication and avoid pitfalls of projecting human frameworks onto other species. \nFor more about Stephan’s work see his website: \nhttps://www.stephankaufhold.com/ \nZoom link for those unable to attend in person: \nhttps://ucla.zoom.us/j/94308730584?pwd=0YGsaJFEdLd5cMsOhTh465nwJubz9o.1 \nMeeting ID: 943 0873 0584 \nPasscode: 308291
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/stephen-kaufhold-ucsd-title-tba/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250602T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250602T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20250312T202947Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250606T201621Z
UID:7826-1748865600-1748871000@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Erin Riley - Roadside primates: Balancing risks and rewards in anthropogenic environments
DESCRIPTION:Roadside primates: Balancing risks and rewards in anthropogenic environments\nErin Riley\nProfessor\, Anthropology\, San Diego State University\nIn the contemporary era it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a primate population that has not experienced some form of anthropogenic influence. Primates living in anthropogenic spaces may benefit from access to novel food resources\, such as agricultural crops or provisioned foods\, but they also must deal with potential negative outcomes from the presence of humans and their activities. The complexity of these human-primate interfaces necessitates the use of interdisciplinary approaches that draw from both the natural and social sciences. In this talk\, I will discuss my research on the human-macaque interface in Sulawesi\, Indonesia\, highlighting the mixed methods approaches my colleagues and I are using to examine how macaques and people are co-adapting to ever-expanding shared landscapes. \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/erin-riley-roadside-primates-balancing-risks-and-rewards-in-anthropogenic-environments/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2025,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250512T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250512T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20250312T202757Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250527T195022Z
UID:7823-1747051200-1747056600@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Annie E. Wertz - How infants learn to eat plants (and why they may not want to)
DESCRIPTION:How infants learn to eat plants (and why they may not want to)\nAnnie E. Wertz\nAssistant Professor\, Psychological & Brain Sciences\nUniversity of California\, Santa Barbara\nLife is mostly plants. Plants constitute an estimated 80% of the biomass on Earth and are concentrated in terrestrial environments. Millions of animal species rely on plants to survive and the organismic design of plants and animals have been tightly interwoven in intricate ways over evolutionary time. Humans are no exception. Plants have been a foundational component of human diets across evolutionary time\, yet many plants can be toxic or even fatal if ingested. In this talk\, I will present research exploring the cognitive adaptations human infants use to negotiate this paradox and safely learn which plants they can eat. \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/annie-e-wertz-how-infants-learn-to-eat-plants-and-why-they-may-not-want-to/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2025,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250428T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250428T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035057
CREATED:20250312T202548Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T191219Z
UID:7820-1745841600-1745847000@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Katrine Whiteson - May the Fiber Be with You: Gut Microbiomes from a remote Amazon village to the undergraduate lab
DESCRIPTION:May the Fiber Be with You: Gut Microbiomes from a remote Amazon village to the undergraduate lab\nKatrine Whiteson\nUniversity of California Irvine School of Biological Sciences\, co-Director\, UCI Microbiome Center\nBacterial and viral colonization of the human body has profound implications for human health\, yet our understanding of what constitutes a “healthy microbiome” remains incomplete—especially in the context of industrialization. Over the past century\, global diets have shifted dramatically\, with increased consumption of processed foods and a steep decline in dietary fiber intake. These changes have left our colons depleted of critical substrates that fuel gut microbial communities\, with potential consequences for immune function\, metabolic health\, and chronic disease risk. \nTo explore what a less industrialized microbiome might look like\, we studied the gut\, oral\, and fermented food microbiomes of women and children from 28 households in Conambo\, a remote Indigenous community along the Conambo River in the Ecuadorian Amazon. This community is largely isolated from urban infrastructure\, with minimal exposure to processed foods or modern medical care. Microbiome profiles from Conambo participants revealed high diversity and a dominance of microbial taxa such as Prevotellaceae. \nWe also analyzed chicha\, a traditional fermented manioc beverage prepared by mastication of boiled cassava tubers. Our findings revealed microbial succession during fermentation and close taxonomic overlaps with oral and gut microbiota—underscoring the intimate links between diet\, tradition\, and microbial transmission. Within Conambo\, household co-residence emerged as a strong driver of microbiome similarity across fecal\, saliva\, and chicha samples. \nFinally\, we contextualized the Conambo microbiomes by comparing them to global reference datasets\, including UC Irvine undergraduates participating in dietary fiber intervention studies. Together\, these datasets reveal how environmental exposure\, diet\, and social structure shape the human microbiome—and offer a lens into both human microbial history and the future of microbiome-informed health. \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/katrine-whiteson-may-the-fiber-be-with-you-gut-microbiomes-from-a-remote-amazon-village-to-the-undergraduate-lab/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2025,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250414T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250414T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20250307T215048Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T191343Z
UID:7774-1744632000-1744637400@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Ny Vasil - Generic generalizations within and across contexts
DESCRIPTION:Generic generalizations within and across contexts\nNy Vasil\nAssistant Professor\nPsychology Department\, California State University East Bay\nGeneric generalizations about natural and social kinds (e.g.\, “Raccoons have rabies”; “Trader Joe’s cashiers are friendly”) shape how agents learn\, explain and intervene on their environment. Yet\, there’s no consensus about what underwrites people’s endorsement of generic generalizations. This talk brings together ideas from psychology\, philosophy and linguistics to argue that stability of the described relationship – the extent to which it holds across various contexts\, real or hypothetical – plays an important role in people’s endorsement of generic generalizations about natural and social kinds\, and about causal relationships in these domains. In a series of empirical studies\, we explore how agents navigate the world composed of both broad and narrow patterns\, how the search for robust non-accidental regularities is flexibly adapted to handle “sociocultural bubbles” and other exceptions to universality\, and how this capacity develops. In conclusion\, I will discuss how the proposed account coheres with the psychological functions of generalizations. \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/ny-vasil-generic-generalizations-within-and-across-contexts/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2025,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250331T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250331T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20250311T192630Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T191814Z
UID:7811-1743422400-1743427800@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Hillard Kaplan - An evolutionary-physiological model of human energy management and the emergence of novel non-communicable diseases
DESCRIPTION:An evolutionary-physiological model of human energy management and the emergence of novel non-communicable diseases\nHillard Kaplan\nProfessor\, Anthropology\, University of New Mexico\nResearch Affiliate\, Economic Science Institute\, Chapman University\nThis talk presents recent findings obtained with Tsimane and Moseten Native South Americans showing that they 1) engage in high levels of physical activity\, and have a high burden of infectious disease and high fertility rates; 2) have a very low prevalence of heart disease and dementia; 3) have slower rates of brain volume loss with age than U.S. and European populations; and 4) evidence a curvilinear relationship of BMI and non-HDL cholesterol with brain volume. Based on those results\, I propose a theoretical model of the evolved human energy management system\, focusing on the regulation and use of macronutrients in supporting physical activity\, brain function\, immunity\, and reproduction. This is followed by a quantitative model that examines how natural selection would act on exogenous changes in energy supply and expenditure. The final part of the talk utilizes the model to explore how recent rapid changes in energy supply\, physical activity\, pathogen burden and reproduction result in increased risk of diabetes\, heart disease\, dementia\, and cancer.
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/hillard-kaplan-an-evolutionary-physiological-model-of-human-energy-management-and-the-emergence-of-novel-non-communicable-diseases/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2025,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250310T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250310T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20250106T225009Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T191717Z
UID:7711-1741608000-1741613400@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Tage Rai - Incentivized punishers and moralistic offenders destabilize cooperation
DESCRIPTION:Incentivized punishers and moralistic offenders destabilize cooperation\nTage Rai\nAssistant Professor\nRady School of Management\nUniversity of California\, San Diego\nPunishment is classically theorized to be essential for the evolution of cooperation in human societies and is the primary means by which states attempt to directly reduce crime. Yet\, empirically\, punishment is often ineffective at bringing about its desired changes in behavior. In this talk\, I describe a series of papers from my lab that investigate moral motivation and signaling dynamics between punishers and offenders that reduce the effectiveness of punishment and destabilize cooperation. These studies draw on economic games\, secondary analyses of crime\, and vignette study methods\, and are conducted with participants from general and criminalized populations. I then revisit the question of why we punish\, whether it ever makes sense\, and what our alternatives are.
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/tage-rai-incentivized-punishers-and-moralistic-offenders-destabilize-cooperation/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2025,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250303T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250303T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20241230T234554Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T191530Z
UID:7692-1741003200-1741008600@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Daniel L. Bowling - Music and Health: Biological Foundations and Applications *Rescheduled from 1/13/25*
DESCRIPTION:Music and Health: Biological Foundations and Applications\nDaniel L. Bowling\nStanford University School of Medicine\, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences\nStanford University School of Humanities and Sciences\, Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA)\nEvery day\, hundreds of millions of people turn to music to regulate their mood\, take pleasure\, and socialize. These effects apply directly to core dimensions of mental health\, including affect\, reward\, and social functioning. This correspondence is attracting attention from public and private investors (e.g.\, the National Institutes of Health and Universal Music Group). The evidence at hand includes hundreds of controlled trials examining music therapies\, meta-analyses of which show clinically significant effects across a broad range of major functional disorders (e.g.\, of mood\, anxiety\, sociality\, psychosis\, and dementia). Building on this success\, a variety of new and developing music-based treatments are being sold and tested in support of health and wellness. In this talk\, I will present our growing understanding of music’s underlying biology alongside recent work to combine music neuroscience\, therapy\, composition\, and technology towards new applications designed to increase treatment access and biomedical integration. \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/daniel-l-bowling-music-and-health-biological-foundations-and-applications/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2025,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250224T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250224T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20250106T224931Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T204705Z
UID:7707-1740398400-1740403800@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Mike Frank - Bridging the data gap between children and AI models
DESCRIPTION:Bridging the data gap between children and AI models\nMike Frank\n\nBenjamin Scott Crocker Professor of Human Biology\, Stanford University\n\nLarge language and language-vision models show intriguing emergent behaviors\, yet they receive at least three to four – and sometimes as much as six – orders of magnitude more language data than human children. What accounts for this vast difference in sample efficiency? I will describe steps towards a paradigm in which we can address this question. In particular\, I’ll discuss the use of child language and egocentric video data for model training\, and the use of developmental data for model evaluation. This paradigm provides a model-based framework for exploring the nature of children’s early language learning. \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/mike-frank-bridging-the-data-gap-between-children-and-ai-models/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2025,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250210T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250210T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20250106T224749Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T203806Z
UID:7700-1739188800-1739194200@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Ryan Nichols - Lineage Fitness Theory and the Lineage Manipulation and Mutualism Mechanism: Bridging Evolutionary Social Sciences & Cultural Evolution
DESCRIPTION:Lineage Fitness Theory and the Lineage Manipulation and Mutualism Mechanism: Bridging Evolutionary Social Sciences & Cultural Evolution\nRyan Nichols\nDepartment of Philosophy\, California State University Fullerton\nLineage fitness theory aims to improve integration of cultural evolution with evolutionary psychological and social sciences by explaining the onset and maintenance of key traditions as products of gene-culture co-evolutionary selection of a mechanism. The lineage fitness hypothesis is deduced from inclusive fitness theory\, corresponding middle-level evolutionary hypotheses\, and stated assumptions pertaining to cumulative culture. The lineage manipulation and mutualism mechanism refers to the causal processes by which ancestors exploited intra-lineage cumulative cultural traditions to marginally raise their fitness by partially controlling inputs to evolved psychological modules of descendants. This caused increases in rates of co-descendant survival\, in welfare tradeoff ratio amongst distant co-descendants\, and led to manipulation of mating preferences and behaviors of co-descendants. Unique predictions of this theory that are not entailed by kin selection theory are identified. The posterior probability of this theory is raised by attention to studies demonstrating effects of cultural traditions on patrilineal investment\, and by a case study of Han Chinese culture and genomics. A Bayesian argument noting several limitations concludes the discussion by affirming (only) that the lineage fitness hypothesis merits further investigation by experts. \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/ryan-nichols-lineage-fitness-theory-and-the-lineage-manipulation-and-mutualism-mechanism-bridging-evolutionary-social-sciences-cultural-evolution/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2025,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250127T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250127T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20250106T224658Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T185844Z
UID:7697-1737979200-1737984600@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Justin Lund - Storytelling\, sovereignty\, and STEM
DESCRIPTION:Storytelling\, sovereignty\, and STEM\nJustin Lund\nPostdoctoral Fellow\nDepartment of Anatomy and Cell Biology\nOSU Center for Health Sciences\nInclusive and engaged research and education are essential for fostering equity and mutual respect. Yet\, academic approaches to culturally appropriate knowledge production and community engagement vary widely. Indigenous communities have long been a focus of research\, often emphasizing their ways of living\, biologies\, and narratives—frequently without equitable collaboration. To move toward more just engagement\, educators and researchers must embrace decolonization practices that prioritize Tribal sovereignty and self-determination. While “decolonization” is often invoked as a buzzword\, its practical application can be deeply transformative. In this talk\, Dr. Lund will share insights from education and research initiatives co-created with Indigenous communities and students. These efforts aim to honor Tribal sovereignty and cultivate a new generation of Indigenous scientists\, setting a model for equitable and impactful collaborations.
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/justin-lund-storytelling-sovereignty-and-stem/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2025,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250106T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250106T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20241230T232157Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250108T194525Z
UID:7687-1736164800-1736170200@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Nicholas Grebe - Snark Hunting and Non-Traditional Models for the Biology of Monogamy
DESCRIPTION:Snark Hunting and Non-Traditional Models for the Biology of Monogamy\nNicholas Grebe\nAssistant Professor\nDepartment of Psychology\nOccidental College\nSince the 1950s\, the field of organismal biology has warned against a single-minded focus on common\, easy-to-study animal models—the lab rat being the canonical example—that comes at the expense of understanding both diversity and commonality in the mechanisms of behavior. Historically\, research on the biology of monogamy has been dominated by rodent models\, and in primates\, by callitrichids (marmosets and tamarins). A large body of often elegant research in these animals has proven foundational to contemporary theories in organismal biology. At the same time\, looking beyond these popular models has revealed a diversity of behavior under the umbrella of ‘monogamy’\, and in many cases\, a corresponding diversity in underlying physiological mechanisms. This talk will cover research on the biology and evolution of monogamy in two non-traditional primate models—lemurs and mountain gorillas—and will discuss what can be gained from studying the social worlds of non-model organisms. \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/nicholas-grebe-snark-hunting-and-non-traditional-models-for-the-biology-of-monogamy/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2025,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241202T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241202T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20241023T222117Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241203T192241Z
UID:7634-1733140800-1733146200@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:David Pietraszewski - The evolutionary psychology of psychology
DESCRIPTION:The evolutionary psychology of psychology\nDavid Pietraszewski\nPsychological and Brain Sciences\, UCSB\nSciences progress when the perspective-dependence of their inquiry is taken into account and corrected for. This happened in astronomy\, physics\, and chemistry\, but it has not yet happened in the psychological and behavioral sciences. Because human beings have no choice but to use their mind to understand the mind\, the mental mechanisms brought to bear on that endevour—the evolutionary psychology of psychology—constitute psychology’s perspective-dependence. In this talk\, I will show how thinking about the psychology underlying the study of the mind explains (1) the problem of free will and (2) broad assumption(s) about mental processes that are perennially re-discovered and then later shown to be insufficient. Accounting for the structure of our evolved cognitive mechanisms is a necessary meta-scientific endeavour that clears away mysteries and highlights problems that need to be solved\, allowing us to side-step prejudices of the mind.
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/david-pietraszewski-the-evolutionary-psychology-of-psychology/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2024,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241118T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241118T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20240909T212137Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241118T222302Z
UID:7567-1731931200-1731936600@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Andreas Wilke - The adaptivity of children’s search processes
DESCRIPTION:The adaptivity of children’s search processes\nAndreas Wilke\nClarkson University\, Department of Psychology\nHumans and other organisms must search effectively for the resources they need\, whether these are physical (e.g.\, food or shelter) or informational (e.g.\, patterns in the world\, or concepts stored in memory). Most human search studies have focused on brief (static) laboratory tasks\, but being effective in realistic search settings requires adapting to changing environments over both short and long terms\, and to changing individual abilities developmentally. In this talk\, I will report on two ongoing projects that investigate how young children grow to understand searchable patterns as clusters and sequences. \nA tendency to perceive illusory streaks or clumps in random sequences of data—the hot hand phenomenon—has been identified as a human universal tied to our evolutionary history of foraging for clumpy resources. In the first project\, we investigated how this misperception of randomness and ecologically relevant statistical thinking broadly develops ontogenetically. Based on our work with adults\, we developed three iPad-based decision-making tasks that assess how 3- to 10-year-old children decide that sequential events will continue in a streak or not\, their understanding of randomness\, and their ability to reason in spatially dependent terms. In a second project\, we assessed more specifically to what extent children can differentiate among objective alternation probabilities of various kinds\, specifically when they are non-random and do indeed contain statistical regularities. The distributions that were used included clumpy ones (where a hit is more likely to predict another hit nearby or vice versa) and dispersed ones (where a hit is more likely to predict a miss nearby or vice versa). Our project collected data at research sites in the United States and in Germany. Our analyses suggest that children\, indeed\, hold strong expectations of clumpy resources when they search through and reason with various statistical distributions.
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/andreas-wilke-the-adaptivity-of-childrens-search-processes/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2024,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241104T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241104T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20240909T212358Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241112T201215Z
UID:7574-1730721600-1730727000@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Cody Moser - Models of Collective Problem Solving: Bringing the Individual into Collective Intelligence
DESCRIPTION:Models of Collective Problem Solving: Bringing the Individual into Collective Intelligence\nCody Moser\nCognitive and Information Sciences\, UC Merced\nThe field of collective intelligence focuses on how group communication\, interaction\, and organization shape collective outcomes. Computational models of collective systems have been instrumental in identifying which structures promote optimal group performance. While these models often converge on common theories and principles\, they typically do so at an epiphenomenal level\, overlooking the causal mechanisms that drive group-level success. A significant challenge in developing a formal theory of collective intelligence lies in accounting for the role of individuals within the group. In this talk\, I will discuss ongoing work aimed at addressing this gap\, exploring how individual contributions influence group performance and collective problem-solving abilities. \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/cody-moser-models-of-collective-problem-solving-bringing-the-individual-into-collective-intelligence/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2024,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241021T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241021T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20240909T212303Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250116T200154Z
UID:7571-1729512000-1729517400@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Irene Godoy - Kinship as constraint: Social aging in kin-structured groups
DESCRIPTION:Kinship as constraint: Social aging in kin-structured groups\nIrene Godoy\nCentre for Research in Animal Behaviour (CRAB)\, University of Exeter\nThe dramatic increase in human life expectancy poses new challenges for health care systems. Among those challenges is that social isolation and loneliness as risk factors for mortality are highest among the elderly. We know that the social networks of adults tend to decrease in size with advancing age. However\, what factors influence the rate at which an individual’s social network decreases? The answers to this question are critical to inform interventions aimed at improving late-life outcomes. In my talk\, I will discuss comparative research in free-ranging\, long-lived species to address age-related declines in human social integration. I will focus on non-human primates because of their close evolutionary link to humans and their long lifespans. Research in non-human primates has demonstrated similar age-related declines in sociality\, though the drivers of these patterns are not well-understood. Group-living primates typically show strong kin biases in their association patterns. One key factor that may thus contribute to individual differences in social aging is kinship dynamics\, as the type and number of close kin available changes across an individual’s lifespan. Drawing on data from a wild capuchin population\, I will present results showing that both males and females show declines in their rates of spatial association as they age. Interestingly\, age-related declines vary depending on the kinship relationship with social partners\, and these effects are sex dependent. I will discuss how these (and other) results shed light on some of the myriad ways in which kinship dynamics may place constraints on how ‘social’ individuals can remain across development.
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/irene-godoy-kinship-as-constraint-social-aging-in-kin-structured-groups/
LOCATION:352 Haines Hall
CATEGORIES:2024,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241010T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241010T133000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20240903T000634Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241018T172826Z
UID:7559-1728561600-1728567000@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Gary Brase - How to incite a scientific revolution: A practical framework of converging evidence for behavioral sciences integration [Note special time and location]
DESCRIPTION:How to incite a scientific revolution: A practical framework of converging evidence for behavioral sciences integration\nGary Brase\nKansas State University\nIf science is about the pursuit of truth\, why do so many scientists disagree? Everyone should agree\, at least on most things\, according to the idea that there is a consistency of sciences. Others point out that science instead has repeated revolutions\, in which one worldview is overthrown for a new worldview. The aim of this work is to outline a way to move behavioral sciences towards greater unity with an integrated framework (possibly inciting revolutions in the process). This is a more practical rather than philosophical approach\, that is designed for researchers and others to use as a framework for better evaluating and advancing their chosen research topics. This work integrates previous frameworks (Marr’s computational framework\, Tinbergen’s four questions\, Schmitt & Pilcher’s converging evidence model) to be more comprehensive\, complete\, and specifically for the behavioral sciences. The goal is to help behavioral scientists\, and other people who pay attention to and evaluate science\, with a framework for thinking about topics. We will talk about the advantages and issues of this integrated framework\, and examples of using the framework for specific topics. \nNote: This event will be held on a Thursday\, at the Discourse Lab in Haines Hall\, which has limited space (15 people max). Arrive early to get a seat. Also\, lunch will not be served for this event. \n 
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/gary-brase-how-to-incite-a-scientific-revolution-a-practical-framework-of-converging-evidence-for-behavioral-sciences-integration/
LOCATION:Haines 332 (Discourse Lab)
CATEGORIES:2024,Past Presentation,Presentation
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241007T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241007T210000
DTSTAMP:20260418T035058
CREATED:20240903T000223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240921T184608Z
UID:7553-1728324000-1728334800@bec.ucla.edu
SUMMARY:Chimp Empire - A Screening and Panel Discussion with the Filmmakers [RSVP required; Note special time and location]
DESCRIPTION:Chimp Empire – A Screening and Panel Discussion with the Filmmakers\nFeaturing \nSara Edelson\nManager of Original Documentary Programming\, Netflix \nJames Reed\nDirector\, Chimp Empire \nJohn Mitani\nProfessor Emeritus of Anthropology\, University of Michigan \nmoderated by\nClark Barrett\nProfessor\, UCLA Department of Anthropology and\nDirector\, UCLA Center for Behavior\, Evolution and Culture \nand \nAbigail Bigham\nAssociate Professor\, UCLA Department of Anthropology\nVice Chair for Undergraduate Studies \n  \nReception to follow \nThis event is open to the public\, RSVP required. Please RSVP at: https://eventsrsvp.ucla.edu/ChimpEmpire/logon.aspx?NoID=Y
URL:https://bec.ucla.edu/event/chimp-empire-a-screening-and-panel-discussion-with-the-filmmakers/
LOCATION:CNSI
CATEGORIES:2024,Presentation,Upcoming Presentation
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR