Brian Hare is an expert in chimpanzee and bonobo behavior in African sanctuaries, and founded the Hominoid Psychology Research Group, which compares the psychology of hominoids (human and non-human ape).

He is seeking to identify which features of our social problem-solving abilities have evolved, since humans, bonobos, and chimpanzees shared a common ancestor. In addition, his group is comparing the psychology of apes and non-primates to identify cases of psychological convergence, which could provide a unique opportunity to infer how human-like social skills evolved.

Widely published, Dr. Hare is a professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University and a member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, a division of the Duke Institute for Brain Science. Dr. Hare also founded the Duke Canine Cognition Center at Duke University.

Past Events

• All Creatures Great And Smart

  2010 Festival

  Does your dog really think and feel like a human? Do our closest primate relatives have brains and emotions similar to ours? What about the storied intelligence of dolphins and singing humpback whales? And do other species hold surprises for us if we’re willing to look closely?

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