Événement

Profs & Pints: Sex on the Brain

Profs and Pints presents: Sex on the Brain, a look at the science of sex differences, gender, and sexual orientation, with Bradley M. Cooke, adjunct associate professor of neuroscience and psychology at Georgia State University.

What makes someone gay or straight? Are there sex-based physical differences in brain structure that control behavior? To what extent is gender-typical behavior learned? What happens in the brain when we fall in love, and how do early experiences affect our ability to form attachments?

Brad Cooke researched such questions for 20 years, conducting studies of social behavior in laboratory animals, distributing questionnaires at Pride festivals, and examining the ultramicroscopic synaptic connections between neurons. Come hear him share his findings and those of other scientists whove made seminal contributions to our understanding of sex differences, love, and attachment.

He'll focus on what we know about the origins of sex differences in the brain, the causes of homosexuality, and the reciprocal relationships between gonadal hormones, behavior, and brain structure known as neural plasticity. He'll also talk about what studies of finger-length ratios have taught us about sexual orientation, and some of the cutting-edge techniques used to study brain structure and function.

You'll leave with a much greater understanding of why we desire those we desire. (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, save $2 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in.)