Giving Back

Capital Pride 2016 Theme Announcement

BYGaysJanuary 25, 2016

Get ready to Make Magic Happen during 2016 Capital Pride....

Giving BackLGBTQNews 05 min read

Winter and Holiday Volunteering Guide

alyssadevlinDecember 16, 2015

Even though the weather may not agree, winter is almost here and with a new season it’s time for a new volunteer guide...

ArtEat & DrinkFeaturedGiving BackMiscTheatre & Dance 010 min read

BYT Interviews: Bobby Gill of Cupid’s Undie Run

Jenn TisdaleDecember 1, 2015

I went into hustle mode and tried to recruit Martha Stewart to run in her underwear for charity. She was not interested....

ChicagoGiving BackStuff To Do In DC 07 min read

Fall Volunteering Guide

alyssadevlinOctober 19, 2015

It's time for apple picking, haunted houses and doing something for someone else ...

ArtBooksCute StuffEat & DrinkFeaturedGiving BackMiscTheatre & Dance 07 min read

Preview: DC VegFest @ Yards Park

Tam SackmanSeptember 24, 2015

All the flavors you love without the guilt that comes from being at the top of the food chain...

Eat & DrinkGiving BackStuff To Do In DC 02 min read

BYT Interviews: Jamie Lee Henry ahead of the Mautner Project Party

BYGaysSeptember 24, 2015

The Mautner Project celebrates 25 years this Friday. We speak with their honoree, Maj. Jamie Lee Henry, MD, a military doctor and the first openly transgender Army officer....

FeaturedGiving BackLGBTQMisc 010 min read

Talking Paris is Burning with Rayceen Pendarvis

BYGaysSeptember 22, 2015

Rayceen Pendarvis gets you ready for a special screening of Paris is Burning this Friday....

Giving BackLGBTQStyle & Shopping 010 min read

Recap: Carpe DC Food Tours

Melissa GrothJuly 27, 2015

Carpe the heck out of DC...

Eat & DrinkGiving BackPhotosTravel 06 min read

DC Summer Volunteering Guide

alyssadevlinJune 19, 2015

From summer camp to summer classes, get ready to get out there and give back...

ArtEat & DrinkFeaturedGiving BackMisc 09 min read

BYT Interviews: Lizz Winstead

Megan BurnsJune 12, 2015

Grown Ass Carnival is happening at Long Island City's The Creek + The Cave this Sunday, and it sounds like just about the best time EVER; tickets are just five ...

Funny StuffGiving Back 011 min read

Filter Events

27jan4:30 pmWinter Igloos at the Watergate Hotel4:30 pm The Watergate Hotel

27jan6:00 pm8:30 pmProfs & Pints: Primates and Conflict6:00 pm - 8:30 pm Bier Baron Tavern

Event Details

Profs and Pints presents: “Primates and Conflict,” a look at how monkey and ape behavior helps explain human tribalism and warfare, with primatologist Laura Martínez Íñigo, postdoctoral researcher at Howard University and former instructor at England’s University of Lincoln.

Human history is replete with wars and genocides that have decimated millions and devastated nations. On a daily basis, we see conflicts between sympathizers of different political parties, or even just between fans of rival sports teams. Our minds seem ready to categorize people into groups, and push people to join with “us” against those we often dehumanize as “them,” How did we get here?

Come hear that question tackled by Laura Martínez Íñigo, whose interest in primates has led her to follow monkeys and apes through jungles, swamps, and snowy mountains in Africa and Asia. She’ll show us how the study of monkeys and apes help us to understand where our tendency for warfare and tribalism may have come from, what factors contribute to peace and war in nature, and the curious link connecting within-group love and between-group hostility.

Like us, most other primates live in groups, and when they meet their neighbors things can get pretty ugly. While fights between monkey groups are common, they rarely end in fatalities. Nonetheless, one of our closest and smartest living relatives, the chimpanzee, seems to actively seek opportunities to kill members of other groups.

Is intelligence the evil in both of us? Well, Bonobos, as related to us as chimpanzees and similarly gifted, often mingle peacefully with other groups for days of play and sex. So what is it, then, that triggers violence?

In looking at the behavior of other primates, you’ll walk out with a better understanding of our place in nature. Maybe, the next time that you catch yourself acting tribal, you will choose not to be chimp-like, and instead tap into our ability to make peace. (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, save $2 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please arrive in plenty of time to place any order and be seated and settled before the talk begins.)