What can animals teach us about identity?
B. Natterson-Horowitz, MDSome of mankind's most enduring questions are about who we are as individuals, how we can live successfully alongside others, & the tension between the two. What can we learn about identity from our furry, feathered and scaly friends?
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Some of mankind's most enduring questions are centred on who we are as individuals, how we can live successfully alongside others, and the tension between the two. What can we learn about group dynamics and identity from our furry, feathered and scaly friends?
We may expect to be able to draw parallels between how humans behave in groups and the pack instincts of animals. It also probably seems like common sense that we can better understand the impact of loneliness on people by observing animals in isolation. But there are far more similarities between the behaviours and preoccupations of the human world and the animal one than you might expect, including gender identity, teamwork, sisterhood, xenophobia and appearance-based bullying.
B. Natterson-Horowitz's fascinating work at Harvard University and UCLA uses insight from the natural world to find new ways of approaching human health and development.
Studying a diverse range of animals in natural settings, B has uncovered adaptations with relevance to heart failure, sudden cardiac death, seizures, dementia, movement disorders, infertility and psychiatric conditions including anxiety, compulsive and eating disorders.
B joins us in The Garden to uncover the many ways in which the behaviours of humans in groups and alone can be illuminated by observing our animal cousins.
Talk outline
50 minutes
Anatomy & Identity
About the Fellow
In her work at Harvard University, B studies a diverse range of animals to better understand human health challenges, including heart failure, seizures, dementia, infertility, anxiety and eating disorders.
Thank you notes from Garden members
Anatomy & Identity Collection
How we think about who we are and how that intersect with our bodies, brains and biology is the subject of discussion today. But has this always been the case? Are there blurred lines between anatomy & identity we should be exploring?Conjoined twins are among the rarest of human beings. Revered in some cultures and vilified in others. How should we think about individuality in conjoined twinning, & should the phenomenon often seen as a medical “problem” be solved?
In 1911, French doctors thought LS, a fashion model, had herniated ovaries. No one expected them to be testes. What is intersex? And what can we learn about sex and gender development from it?
Conversation is a continuous act of curating, connecting and analysing the events in our lives. How do we decide how we want to be seen?
Do the anatomical differences between men and women extend to the biology of the brain? Or does it all come down to environmental influence?
The world of dating, sex and childbirth is a hazardous one, full of complex behaviours and even threats to our health. Well, mating in the animal kingdom is just as complex. What can we learn about "the birds and the bees" by looking at our animal cousins?
Some of mankind's most enduring questions are about who we are as individuals, how we can live successfully alongside others, & the tension between the two. What can we learn about identity from our furry, feathered and scaly friends?
We often hear about nature vs nurture, but did you know that science can pinpoint specific personality traits that can be traced to the environment we grew up in? How much of our adult personality has its roots in not who we were born, but where?
