The Siposium: You Are What You Eat -Diet, Evolution, Primate Connection

Ever wish your favorite NPR segment or Ted Talk came with trivia, drinks, and real conversation? Welcome to The Siposium—a live, interactive gathering where we deep dive into surprisingly niche topics with expert guests, thoughtful dialogue, and just enough irreverence to keep it fun. Think NPR-style curiosity, casual community vibes, and real-time interaction. With drinks.

This month: You Are What You Eat: Diet, Evolution, and the Primate Connection

This event is doubling as a fundraiser for For The Love of Primates and all proceeds will go towards the organization. So come learn,drink, and help a good cause!

Event Description:

From fruit-loving monkeys to hominins navigating shifting food landscapes, diet has always been one of the great engines of evolution. In this talk, we’ll trace the history of what primates—and eventually, modern humans—have eaten and why it mattered. How did different diets shape our biology, our behavior, and even the trillions of microbes living in our guts? What can the diets of modern primates tell us about our ancestors—and ourselves?

We’ll explore major dietary shifts across primate evolution, the hidden role of the microbiome, and the surprising ways food has shaped who we are today. Come ready to rethink your dinner plate in light of millions of years of evolutionary history—and discover how what we eat connects us to our primate cousins.

This event doubles as a fundraiser for For the Love of Primates, a nonprofit sanctuary creating lifelong homes for monkeys retired from laboratories, the pet trade, and the entertainment industry.

Speaker Bios:

Dr. Tessa Wilde (the Founder and Executive Director of For the Love of Primates) is a primatologist with a BA in Zoology, an MSc in Primate Conservation, and a PhD in Anthropology (Primatology). Her doctoral research explored the primate microbiome and how it shapes both biology and behavior.

Madee Green (the Board President of For the Love of Primates) is a human evolutionary biologist with a BA in Anthropology, an MSc in Forensic Anthropology, and is currently completing her PhD in Anthropology. Her research focuses on human evolution and biological adaptations.

Together, Tessa and Madee bring a unique perspective—linking primate biology, human evolution, and modern conservation—to highlight how the story of diet is really the story of us all.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Columbus Brewing Company Beer Hall, 200 Kelton Avenue, Columbus, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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