Novartis Foundation meeting 29^th March 2000

The speciation of modern Homo sapiens

Draft program

9.00 session 1: Nature and Origin of the Species
chair:
Discussion: how many speciation events were there in hominid evolution?

Is there an alternative to saltation?

the problem of the Neanderthals

commentary: C Stringer, P Mellars, I Tattersall, M Corballis, D Bickerton, S Mithen
10.00 James Steele: When did directional asymmetry enter the record ?
commentary: JC Marshall on laterality in the chimpanzee.
  
10.30-11.00 coffee

11.00 session 2: Language and the Evolution of the Brain
chair: C Blakemore
11.00 JR Hurford: Did language need a speciation event?

Discussion
11.30 ND Cook: Why language needs both hemispheres.

Discussion
commentary: D Bickerton, MC Corballis, JC Marshall, TJ Crow, D Ploog, S Mithen

30. lunch

1.30 session 3: Search for a Critical Event
chair P Lachman

Heterochrony and hominid evolution; the concept of Chaline et al

Commentary:

Morphology/embryology – L Wolpert

Chromosome change – MA Ross

Individual differences in brain structure – TJ Crow

2.15 IC McManus:  Is the laterality locus on the X (and ?Y) chromosome ?

Discussion

2.45 CA Sargent/P Blanco: the structure of the Xq21.3/Yp homologous region

in primates and Homo sapiens

commentary: DH Skuse, C Tyler-Smith, NA Affara, E Szathmary, ?MA Jobling

3.30- 4.00 tea/coffee

30. General Discussion

attendance:

C Stringer
P Mellars
I Tattersall
M Corballis
D Bickerton
E Szathmary
TJ Crow
C Tyler-Smith
NA Affara
J Maddox
James Steele
IC McManus

JC Marshall,
S Mithen,
LL Wolpert
JR Hurford
ND Cook
DH Skuse
LE DeLisi
C Blakemore, ,
P Lachmann
M Balter (Science)
D Ploog
MA Ross,
CA Sargent

P Blanco
R Lambeth