Festival of Science: Talks by Megan Bartley and Andy Larsen

Two back-to-back talks at the Grand County Library. Megan Bartley, The Protection Paradox: When Dangerous Allies Increase Your Chance of Survival. Bartley is an evolutionary anthropologist. Her research asks why perceived threats to safety reliably shift people toward more aggressive social partners, a pattern that runs contrary to the idea that humans have an innate preference for partners who help others. She will talk about what that pattern may explain, including why bullying often leads to popularity and why perceived danger increases support for authoritarian leaders. Andy Larsen, Measuring Moab: A grab bag of stats on a changing Moab and Grand County. Larsen is a data columnist at The Salt Lake Tribune, where he uses data and reporting to make complicated questions about Utah easier to understand. He will show how the press uses data and statistics to ask questions and find answers. Free. Part of the Moab Festival of Science, Sept. 23-27.