TED Community » Isabel Behncke Izquierdo
About Me
I was born and raised enjoying the nature of Chile and was educated in animal behaviour and evolutionary anthropology in Cambridge and Oxford. For my PhD work i study the social behaviour (and play behaviour in particular) of wild bonobos in DR Congo. Bonobos are, together with chimpanzees, our living closest relatives, however we know very little about them – mostly through captive work. In Wamba, a most remote jungle location l have observed unique aspects of bonobo lives (from imaginary play and laughter to inter-group encounters to accidents and death) that challenge and illuminate our understanding of human evolution. I aim to link the play of adult bonobos to insights on human laughter, joy, creativity and our capacity for wonder and exploration. I live in Oxford where there are many cafes and pubs wonderful for conversation - just let me know if you are passing by.
- Location:
- Chile, Santiago
- Current organization:
- University of Oxford
- Past organizations:
- Insitute for Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology
- Current role:
- Researcher
- Gender:
- Female
- Areas of expertise:
- human behaviour, bonobos, Primate Behaviour, evolution , Fun, Creativity & Innovation, relationships, Exploration, nature
- I am:
- Agnostic, Brainstormer, Change Agent, Concerned citizen, Connector, Environmentalist, Explorer, Idea generator, Scientist, World traveler
- Languages:
- Spanish, English, French
- My website links:
- Oxford Univ, Wild bonobo campaign
- Universities:
- University of Oxford, University of Cambridge
- TED conferences attended:
- TEDGlobal 2012, TED2011
More About Me
I'm passionate about
Passion. A life worth living. Exploration, creativity, laughter, nature, animals, wild and the wilderness.
An idea worth spreading
Play behaviour is our 'Adaptive Joker' - a biological wildcard which holds the key to our capacity to adapt to a changing world.
Talk to me about
A life worth living, creativity, play, exploration, nature, human behaviour, openness to experience, inspiration, change
People don't know that I'm good at
Dancing for hours, taming parrots, seeking the moment, bringing eclectic people together, making a fire, spreading the fun.
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A reply on Talk: Isabel Behncke: Evolution's gift of play, from bonobo apes to humans
I am the speaker. Wow, i am really sorry i gave the wrong impression. I am a scientist and i am passionately serious about the science behind what i do. Unfortunately i realise now i made the mistake of trying to make a playful talk that would inspire people to learn more about the subjects. Unfortunately in 6 minutes there is not too much you can do! Its very difficult to communicate complexities and nuances in such a short time. I am very happy to send you serious scientific articles if you are interested.
Lastly i am also sorry since i am not only a scientist but also a woman and from latin america. I am passionate about life in general and so my style may have been too much. But i never thought i would get such bad responses, specially from a woman.
Bonobos are a truly interesting species, would be glad so send stuff.