PERSONAL PORTRAIT EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY Brian BrianHare Hare he clipping from the German ing that fits in well at its location on The Max Planck researcher began Tnewspaper BILD on Brian Hare’s Deutscher Platz. Inside, life is inter- studying at the psychology depart- office door is a real eye-catcher. It national; it is the Max Planck Insti- ment of Emory University in Atlanta shows a photograph of the Ameri- tute with the largest percentage of and was thrilled. There were “cool can researcher with a fox, with a researchers from abroad. The five di- lectures” in psychology and anthro- short text below – “full of mis- rectors alone come from five differ- pology, and the student whose high takes,” as Hare comments. What was ent countries. No one really notices school grades were “not particularly a serious scientist like Hare doing in that Brian Hare speaks only a little outstanding” now garnered only the Germany’s most popular daily German. best marks. At Emory he met his tabloid? The article’s headline re- most important teacher: Michael PRACTICAL TRAINING IN THE veals the reason: “Foxes are the bet- (“Mike”) Tomasello, professor of psy- ECUADORIAN JUNGLE ter dogs,” it says. Brian Hare, born chology. Tomasello is one of the in 1976, investigates the social be- Hare was at the institute earlier, from founding Directors of the institute in havior of dogs, and man’s best 2001 to 2002, to collect data for his Leipzig and, as Director of the De- friend is always a good topic for a Ph.D. In 2004, he returned to Leipzig partment for Developmental Psy- wide audience. even though both Harvard and chology, now Hare’s boss. But Hare is by no means only a Emory offered him a position. “For “Mike took me under his wing,” dog researcher. His Ph.D., gained what I do, there is no better place Hare recalls. “He gave me, a 19- at Harvard University in 2003, iden- than this institute,” he raves. “No year-old newcomer, a research pro- tifies him as a biological anthropol- other research establishments can ject and simply let me get on with ogist. He studied psychology and an- compare, not even the best American it.” The project dealt with the ques- thropology, first at Emory University, ones.” Ultimately, the scientist wants tion of how chimpanzees solve spe- then at Harvard. Today, Hare conducts to discover things about humans. So cific social problems. “They weren’t research at the Max Planck Institute how did he end up dealing with very good at it, and I was pretty sure for Evolutionary Anthropology in the dogs? That was “pure chance.” Even that my dog could do better.” Department for Comparative and De- as a child, he loved animals, keeping Tomasello doubted it, and so Hare velopmental Psychology. His group tortoises and catching snakes. When became a canine researcher. He per- calls itself 3chimps and practices he was nine years old he was en- formed a simple experiment in the “hominoid psychology.” thralled by a film about the primate garage with his parents’ two dogs: Brian Hare has thus defined a new researcher Jane Goodall: “I sat on when the animals weren’t watching, research field: the term hominoid our old couch in front of our old TV he hid a dog biscuit underneath one psychology isn’t included in any dic- and thought: Wow, that’s what I of two plastic cups. He then pointed tionary and, so far, is found only on want to do!” he remembers. to the correct cup while looking di- the Internet in connection with the Brian Hare is grateful to his biolo- rectly at the dog. The animal headed Leipzig-based researcher. “The goal gy teacher, who encouraged his ef- straight for the cup with the food. of our work is to compare the psy- forts. His teacher helped him arrange This experiment proved that dogs are chology of hominoids, or large and an internship at Yerkes Primate Cen- apparently very good at recognizing small apes,” says Hare. In particular, ter in Atlanta and a three-week stay human gestures and using them for he wants to discover how the social- in the Ecuadorian jungle. A visit to their own benefit. As later tests cognitive capabilities of humans the Galapagos Islands when he was showed, they clearly have a better have developed since the time when 14 years old opened his eyes to Dar- grasp of this than do chimpanzees or the evolutionary path between hu- win’s theory of evolution. A biogra- wolves. It is now also known that mans, chimpanzees and bonobos phy of this major English researcher this ability is not learned, but genet- As a student, BRIAN HARE did experiments in his parents’ garage. Working with their NTHROPOLOGY (the 3chimps) diverged. At the lies on his desk today, surrounded by ically anchored: puppies of various A dogs, he showed that these animals are more adept than chimpanzees at using humans to solve Leipzig-based Max Planck Institute, a battery of empty Coke bottles. The age groups have no problem reading Hare has found his ideal research bottles are even lined up on the win- human signals in such experiments – AX LANCK NSTITUTE FOR VOLUTIONARY NTHROPOLOGY VOLUTIONARY social problems. Today, at the M P I E A , E field. It is one of the institutes estab- dow ledge, together with a flag of even at only nine weeks old. the American scientist investigates the interplay between intelligence and social behavior – FOR lished in eastern Germany after re- the city of Leipzig. “When you come Hare’s garage experiment from : MPI unification. The researchers are from Atlanta, Coke is part of your 1995 was the very first experiment HOTOS as only the latter of the two helped humans develop their sense (and sensibility). P housed in an impressive new build- daily diet,” explains Hare. of this kind. The new scientific terri- 70 M AXP LANCKR ESEARCH 2/2006 2/2006 M AXP LANCKR ESEARCH 71 PERSONAL PORTRAIT EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY sire to attack, a potential social part- stitute, this is where “Pongoland” ner – in other words, changes its was created. With some 30,000 temperament – its social intelligence square meters, it is the world’s largest seems to increase. enclosure for apes outside of Africa. The search for food can be so simple: With a point of a What has happened with the Its core is a huge tropics hall, with finger, the puppy finds its way to the cup with the food. Siberian foxes should also be valid five spacious outdoor areas contain- for pet dogs. Their domestication ing trees, caves and streams grouped tory that Hare had entered with this they know. In short, they behave like over the many years of man and dog around it. Visitors see neither cages experiment helped him achieve his pet dogs. Their appearance has cohabitation has so changed their nor tiled walls. The primates live in first publication. And the young stu- changed, too: they have floppy ears, wolf temperament that both now tol- an environment that resembles their dent learned something else: Michael a short tail and coats with various erate one another. This process could natural habitat. Tomasello was delighted that he, the markings. Their skeleton is weaker also be significant for human evolu- APES LOVE professor, was wrong. “A great scien- and their bones and teeth are smaller. tion: “Our hypothesis,” says Hare, “is THE EXPERIMENTS tist is pleased when he is not correct. Their stress apparatus and hormone that a change in human tempera- He’s then learned something new,” balance is fundamentally different ment paved the way for human so- What visitors – whose numbers have says Hare. This is one of the most from that of their wild cousins. cio-cognitive evolution.” In other doubled to a million a year since the important things he has learned The Siberian researchers also keep words, the evolution of human levels ape house was built – call Pon- from his professor. a control group of foxes that were of tolerance allowed our species in- goland, the Max Planck researchers Just as well that the kids don’t share the quirks of their elders: Chimpanzee orphans Brian Hare has already traveled not selected for their lack of fear of telligence to evolve.” call the Wolfgang Köhler Center for suckle together on their bottles in Tchimpounga Sanctuary. Older chimps eat alone. widely in his relatively short 10-year humans, which makes comparisons The zoo is Hare’s second office. In Primate Research. Behind the scenes career: his list includes stays in possible. “What we see with the fox- cooperation with the Max Planck In-are work and research rooms where abroad who are conducting research others and forge alliances. Chim- Rome and Leipzig, Siberia, Uganda, es is evolution at work,” the apes undergo tests – which they in Germany. The prize is well en- panzees raised in captivity have and the People’s Republic of Congo says Hare. “We know really enjoy, as Brian Hare relates: dowed: Hare received a generous learned hundreds of words. They use and the Democratic Republic of the the selective mecha- “Ultimately, they are always reward- sum of more than 800,000 euros, symbols and have, according to Congo. The reason: “Traditionally, a nism very well and can ed with something to eat.” Hare which he can invest in his research American anthropologist Christopher lab concentrates on one animal unambiguously retrace finds the Köhler Center fantastic: at his own discretion. Boehm, a “political intelligence” that species,” says Hare.