Anthropologist Brian Wood (University of California, Los Angeles) spoke today on sex differences in space use and spatial cognition among the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania. Dr. Wood has been studying the Hadza for well over a decade, during which he has amassed a large array of data, some of which he shared today. Among the Hadza, both men and women contribute to the group's daily food intake: women collect approximately 4-6 kg of food each today, primarily in the form of underground tubers, whereas men focus on hunting ungulates, the carcasses of which are brought back to settlements. Dr. Wood also conducted a series of experiments carefully designed in light of cultural practices of the
Hadza, the results of which suggest that men score significantly better on navigation and mental rotation tests. Dr. Wood interprets these experimental results in light of the different foraging strategies of men and women, which tend to produce much longer and much more circuitous travel paths for men, as revealed by individual GPS units worn by individuals each day. Men also spend significantly more of their foraging time alone, compared to women who are in small groups throughout the gathering period. A lively discussion followed the fascinating lecture.
News
In the News...
-
September 2025
-
August 2025
-
July 2025
-
March 2025
-
January 2025
-
November 2024
-
October 2024
-
March 2024
-
April 2023
- Erin Vogel awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Integrative Research in Biology
- CHES Awards Reception in partnership with Zelnick Family Research Fund
- CHES Grad Affiliates, Fred Foster and Michelle Night Pipe, Pass their Dissertation Defenses
- CHES Grad Affiliates, Eva Hernandez-Janer and Anissa Speakman, are awarded the Fulbright
-
September 2021
-
March 2021
-
February 2021
-
September 2020
-
June 2020
-
May 2020
-
April 2020
-
March 2020
-
February 2020
-
January 2020
-
December 2019
-
November 2019
-
October 2019
-
September 2019
-
August 2019
-
May 2019
-
April 2019
-
March 2019
-
February 2019
-
January 2019
-
December 2018
-
November 2018
-
October 2018
-
May 2018
News Item
Anthropologist Brian Wood lecture
- Details