Video of the week
Voice control in orangutan gives clues to early human speech
Dr Adriano Lameira of the Department of Anthropology at Durham University has led research into whether the human ability to speak could have stemmed from our evolutionary ancestors the great apes. Here, Rocky, an eleven-year-old orangutan living at Indianapolis Zoo takes part in a game showing his can learn new sounds and control the tone and pitch of his voice. These skills could suggest that humans’ ability to speak can be traced back to the great apes. The study is published in the academic journal, Scientific Reports: www.nature.com/articles/srep30315
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Comment and opinion
When Two Worlds Collide: Peruvian protest documentary shows flipside of economic growth
Dr Juan Pablo Sarmiento Barletti from the Department of Anthropology explains why a new documentary provides an important perspective on indigenous activism in Peru.
(21 Sep 2016) » More about When Two Worlds Collide: Peruvian protest documentary shows flipside of economic growth
We should remember HG Wells for his social predictions, not just his scientific ones
No writer is more renowned for his ability to foresee the future than HG Wells. His fantastic fiction imagined time travel, alien invasion, flights to the moon and human beings with the powers of gods says Simon John James, Professor in the Department of English Studies
(20 Sep 2016) » More about we should remember HG Wells for his social predictions, not just his scientific ones
Hinkley C must be the first of many new nuclear plants
Following Government approval of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, Professor Simon Hogg, Director of the Durham Energy Institute, says a major programme of new nuclear plants is needed to ensure sufficient long term energy for the UK.
(16 Sep 2016) » More about Hinkley C must be the first of many new nuclear plants
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Somme 1916: Talks Programme
Wednesday 28 September 2016, 13:00 to 14:00, Palace Green Library
John Sheen, Independent Military Historian, will talk about The service battalions of the Durham Light Infantry, from formation in 1914 to the battle of the Somme in 1916
Alchemy, the Philosopher’s Stone, and the Holy Grail
Wednesday 28 September 2016, 17:30 to 18:30, Alington House
A free public talk tracing the myth of the Holy Grail and the Philosophers' Stone in literature and film. This is one of the series of Late Summer Lectures organised by the Department of English Studies. Join the conversation via #LateSummerLectures.
Durham Energy Institute Annual Research Symposium
30th September 2016, 08:30 to 17:45, Calman Learning Centre
What are the challenges that the energy industry faces over the next twenty years and what do we need to do to meet them? Can we continue to maintain energy security and resilience post-Brexit and just how much is decommissioning both on and off shore going to cost? These are just some of the questions that our panel of experts will be discussing over the course of the day.
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