Our Mission

The Institute for Mind and Biology at The University of Chicago supports scientific research answering fundamental questions about the mind and its dynamic interactions with the biological systems of the body. We study these interactions in their behavioral and social contexts to further our understanding of psychology and identify the specific cellular and genetic mechanisms that mediate the reciprocal interactions between the mind and biology.

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IMB Member, Dr. Dario Maestripieri, in the News...

In his new book Games Primates Play (link: http://www.amazon.com/Games-Primates-Play-Investigation-Relationships/dp/046502078X), Dario Maestripieri uncovers our evolutionary legacy: the subtle codes that govern our behavior are the result of millions of years of evolution, predating the emergence of modern humans. To understand the rules that govern primate games and our social interactions, Maestripieri arms readers with knowledge of the scientific principles that ethologists, psychologists, economists, and other behavioral scientists have discovered in their quest to unravel the complexities of behavior. As he realizes, everything from how we write emails to how we make love is determined by the legacy of our primate roots and the conditions that existed so long ago. (Description from Amazon.com)

On March 20, 2012, Maestripieri joined Gabriel Spitzer on Clever Apes, a weekly science radio program on Chicago’s WBEZ, to discuss his book. You can download the podcast and read more the about the program here (link: http://www.wbez.org/blog/clever-apes/2012-03-20/clever-apes-28-critter-economy-97474).

On April 16, 2012, Maestripieri joined Phil Ponce on Chicago Tonight, a nightly news and entertainment television program on Chicago’s WTTW, to discuss his book. You can view the interview and read more about the book here (http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2012/04/16/cognitive-overlap-humans-apes).