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lectures > lectures spring 2001

Where does our behaviour come from?

Speaker: Professor Patrick Bateson, FRS
19th May 2001

Why is every human unique? Is it true that our genes 'will out'? What makes someone a genius, a leader, or a psychopath? This talk will give a stimulating new perspective on the origins of human behaviour, and illustrate ways in which our behaviour and personalities are shaped by the combined actions of genes and environment, through a synthesis of nature and nurture.

Patrick Bateson, FRS, is Professor of Ethology (the biological study of behaviour) at the University of Cambridge. He is also Provost of King's College, Cambridge. He was formerly Director of the Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour at Cambridge and later Head of the Department of Zoology. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1983 and became its Biological Secretary and Vice-President in 1998. His research is primarily on the behavioural development of animals and the underlying mechanisms. His most recent book, Design for a Life, was co-authored with Paul Martin (see below) and appeared in paperback (Vintage) in September 2000.