Talk on the Wild Side

The relationship we share with our four-legged friends is a really special one. My talk will explore some of the clever things our dogs are paying attention to during interactions with humans. We will discover the importance of dog-directed speech for building social bonds and explore dogs' sensitivity to human-given cues like eye-gaze. If you’re looking for an excuse to show off your pets on social media (do we need a reason!?) this talk will give an overview of scientific evidence that shows there is good reason why dogs really are man’s (and woman’s!) best friend.

We’re probably all familiar with having to deal with a nasty boss or teacher who lords their authority over us. Similarly, hopefully we’ve also all had a superior who treats us with kindness and respect. Like humans, other primates also vary in how high-ranking individuals treat their inferiors. I’ll be talking about how different approaches to dealing with dominance hierarchies influence communication in primates, and what this means for the evolution of communication and language.

Have you ever heard of a “bonobo”? No? Don’t worry, most people haven’t, even though they are our closest cousins alongside the chimpanzee. By the end of this evening, not only will you have heard about bonobos, they will be your favourite primate species! We will discuss what makes bonobos and chimps so different from each other, and then move on to see how they communicate (spoiler alert: their gestures are not so different from each other).