Evolutionary Foundations of Human Uniqueness — A Public Symposium

What made us human? 

In 2014, the ASU Institute of Human Origins received a $4.9 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to investigate how key traits in human evolution played crucial roles in our emergence. Large brains, long life spans, social cooperation, and complex communication skills are among those behavioral, cognitive, and emotional differences that set us apart. 

This public symposium will present the results of 11 different research projects that attempt to interweave some answers into how we became human. From "bones and stones" to coastal foraging by early modern humans to cooperation in warfare among today's indigenous African communities, IHO scientists will present the findings of three years of research.

This forum is intended for a lay audience interested in what makes us human. Tickets are free, but RSVP is required. Go to Tempe Center for the Arts website  or box office at 700 West Rio Salado Pkwy, Tempe, to secure your general admission ticket.