CARTA: The Evolution of Human Altruism - Donald Pfaff - Brain Mechanisms Underlying Behavior that Obeys the Golden Rule

Steve Frank is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. One of his current research projects is centered on microbial life history and sociality. The theory of virulence is an example of the broader problems of sociality and life history. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 21284]

Christophe Boesch is Director of Primatology at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. His research takes an inclusive approach, addressing the biology of chimpanzees from many viewpoints and applying this knowledge to our understanding of the evolution of cognitive and cultural abilities in humans. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 21282]

Katherine Pollard, Associate Investigator at the Gladstone Institutes and Associate Professor of Biostatistics at UC San Francisco, specializes in evolutionary genomics, in particular identifying genome sequences that differ significantly between or within species and their relationship to biomedical traits. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 21984]

Donald Pfaff, head of the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior at The Rockefeller University, upends our entire understanding of ethics and social contracts with an intriguing proposition: the Golden Rule is hardwired into the human brain. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Show ID: 21288]

Genevieve Konopka is an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at UT Southwestern Medical Center. The focus of her research is elucidating how developmental signaling pathways are disrupted in neuropsychiatric illnesses, and identifying human-specific pathways that are vulnerable to neuropsychiatric disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 21986]

Peter Hammerstein is a theoretical biologist at the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Given his background in game theory and economics, he is interested in conflict and cooperation at the level of individuals and of genes. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 21285]

Ajit Varki, Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Co-Director of CARTA, and Co-Director of the Glycobiology Research and Training Center at the University of California, San Diego, focuses on a family of cell surface sugars called the sialic acids, and their roles in biology, evolution and disease. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 21987]

Elaine Mardis, Associate Professor of Genetics at Washington University and Senior Research Scientist at Bio-Rad Laboratories, explores the orangutan genome. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 21980]

Patricia Smith Churchland is Professor of Philosophy at UC San Diego. The central focus of her research has been the exploration and development of the hypothesis that the mind is the brain. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 21283]

Alysson Muotri, Assistant Professor at UC San Diego, focuses on human brain development and evolution, exploring mobile elements as generators of neuronal diversity. He is also interested in modeling neurological diseases using human induced pluripotent stem cells. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 21983]