Scientist and author Agustín Fuentes will discuss and sign copies of his book, The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional. Over the last two million years, the human linage went from a group of small, fangless, clawless, naked bipedal ape-like beings to the makers of stone tools, the controllers of fire, and the producers of cave art. They later became the constructors of towns, cities and empires, ultimately becoming a core force in the global ecosystem. How did this happen? Our ancestors collaborated to deal with the challenges the world threw at them. We have a cocktail of creativity and collaboration that is unique to our species—no other species has ever been able to do so well—and it has propelled the development of our bodies, minds, and cultures, both for good and for bad. We are first and foremost the species singularly distinguished and shaped by creativity. This lecture provides a brief glimpse into the emerging new synthesis of the human evolutionary story. Fuentes is a professor and chair of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a blogger for Psychology Today and The Huffington Post. His other recent books include Race, Monogamy, and Other Lies They Told You: Busting Myths About Human Nature and Conversations on Human Nature(s).

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