MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'anthropology'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:58:50 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4352747&cid=t_95211_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F15%2F9-types-of-hopelessness%2F I’ve become increasingly intrigued by the topic of hope because, if anything is going to help me climb out of the Black Hole of depression, it’s a sense of hope. In their book, “Hope in the Age of Anxiety,” psychology professors Anthony Scioli and Henry Biller discuss hope from a variety of different perspectives, combining psychology with philosophy, biology, anthropology as well as the literary classics. I went straight to chapter thirteen, of course, and read “Overcoming Hopelessness: Escape from Darkness.” The authors argue that there are nine forms of hopelessness, each related to the disruption of one or more of the basic needs that comprise hope; attachment, mastery, or survival. The authors present three “pure forms” of hopelessness ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4352747 Sat, 15 Jan 2011 13:07:40 +0100 4352747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3729874&cid=t_95211_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fyour-hair-may-be-tracing-where-youve-traveled%2F2010.07.06 Researchers at the University of Utah and IsoForensics Inc. in Salt Lake City have demonstrated that water can potentially be used as a tracer to determine the travel habits of individuals. Because of the natural geographic variability in the hydrogen and oxygen isotope content of water, proteins within hair should contain evidence of these ratios and therefore act as signatures as to where someone has traveled. The current study has shown that the geographic source of tap, bottled water, beer, and sodas can be distinguished simply by measuring the isotope ratio of the water within these drinks. In our opinion, if the technology pans out for real world use, IsoForensics has a bright future with dictatorship governments, security and intelligence services, armed forces, and maybe even some ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3729874 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:00:51 +0100 3729874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3690960&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2FGFcnMeb3_sw%2Fmodern-comedy.html The Evolution of Comedy Panel discussion of comedy writers and producers about the evolution and role of different types of comedy in “serious” society. (Source: Channel N) Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3690960 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:31:15 +0100 3690960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3385450&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2FuPZc9aLNPnc%2Fhumans-vs-animals.html The Uniqueness of Human Neurobiologist, primatologist and stress expert Sapolsky talks about what makes humans different from animals, at the 2009 Stanford commencement. Excellent, entertaining speaker. Lecture via Open Culture. See also: Stress-related Neurodegeneration, Sapolsky on Depression, and the podcast Sapolsky on Stress. (Source: Channel N) Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3385450 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:00:05 +0100 3385450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3271106&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2FvWad-DhWsvc%2Fscience-of-love-romance-and-patterns-of-attraction.html Lust, Romance & Attachment: The Science of Love and Whom We Choose As part of the Girls Night Out series at the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), neuroanthropologist Fisher talks about romantic love, misconceptions about love, its effects on the brain, and why we choose one mate over another. She discusses her early research as well as recent work with Chemistry.com. Slides are not visible, but still a fascinating lecture with 27 minutes of Q&A. A Valentine’s fave here at Channel N, see also this Stonybrook lecture, another 2006 lecture, an interview, and a New York Times interview. (Source: Channel N) Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3271106 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:00:57 +0100 3271106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3180365&cid=t_95211_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2Fagriculture-health-in-pre-columbian.php I've been interested in the transition toward agriculture, and its relationship to human health, for a while. There seem to have been two dominant paradigms in anthropology over the past century. The first is that agriculture spread because it was superior. Farmers were not as poor or ill-fed as hunter-gatherers. More recently, there has been a strong shift toward the view that on the whole the shift toward agriculture actually was associated with an increase in morbidity, and that hunter-gatherers lived lives of relative leisure. Though I lean toward the second view more than the first, it seems likely to me that the anthropological consensus, or at least the consensus communicated to the public, has shifted too far in the direction of the leisurely hunter-gatherer. No matter the exact ca... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3180365 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:43:00 +0100 3180365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096877&cid=t_95211_99_f&fid=35344&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzackarysholemberger.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fabba-in-borough-park.html Social scientists rethink the relationship between Chasidim and modernity.Sometime in 2001, if you were a Chasidic woman in Borough Park, you would have noticed a teacher's assistant who looked out of place at your daughter's school. You would have been familiar with non-Jews and non-religious Jews from their stores and magazines. But you would never have expected someone not quite right to be in your daughter's classroom. She was nice enough, an intelligent woman with a shearling coat who spoke a good Yiddish. But it was clear what she was not: a haymishe fro, a Chasidic woman. You went to the principal to voice your concerns. Could it be that outside influences had invaded your daughter's school so easily?The woman was politely asked to work somewhere else, and she did. Once in a while y... Zackary Sholem Berger blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096877 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:20:00 +0100 3096877 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2992798&cid=t_95211_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F11%2Fheight-doesnt-always-matter.php How universal are human mate choices? Size doesn't matter when Hadza foragers are choosing a mate:It has been argued that size matters on the human mate market: both stated preferences and mate choices have been found to be non-random with respect to height and weight. But how universal are these patterns? Most of the literature on human mating patterns is based on post-industrial societies. Much less is known about mating behaviour in more traditional societies. Here we investigate mate choice by analysing whether there is any evidence for non-random mating with respect to size and strength in a forager community, the Hadza of Tanzania. We test whether couples assort for height, weight, BMI, percent fat and grip strength. We test whether there is a male-taller norm. Finally, we test for a... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2992798 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:39:00 +0100 2992798 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2890696&cid=t_95211_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F10%2F14%2Fthe-9-types-of-hopelessness-and-how-to-overcome-them%2F I’ve become increasingly intrigued by the topic of hope because, if anything is going to help me climb out of the Black Hole of depression, it’s a sense of hope. In their book, “Hope in the Age of Anxiety,” psychology professors Anthony Scioli and Henry Biller discuss hope from a variety of different perspectives, combining psychology with philosophy, biology, anthropology as well as the literary classics. I went straight to chapter thirteen, of course, and read “Overcoming Hopelessness: Escape from Darkness.” The authors argue that there are nine forms of hopelessness, each related to the disruption of one or more of the basic needs that comprise hope; attachment, mastery, or survival. The authors present three “pure forms” of hopelessness ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2890696 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:08:35 +0100 2890696 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2790372&cid=t_95211_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2Fsacred-objects-as-toys.php Dienekes points me to an interesting article, Ancient figurines were toys not mother goddess statues, say experts as 9,000-year-old artefacts are discovered:Made by Neolithic farmers thousands of years before the creation of the pyramids or Stonehenge, they depict tiny cattle, crude sheep and flabby people.In the 1960s, some researchers claimed the more rotund figures were of a mysterious large breasted and big bellied "mother goddess", prompting a feminist tourism industry that thrives today.But modern day experts disagree. They say the "mother goddess" figures - which were buried among the rubbish of the Stone Age town - are unlikely to be have been religious icons. Many of the figures thought to have been women in the 1960s, are just as likely to be men.It's old joke that when archaeolo... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2790372 Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:27:00 +0100 2790372 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2688791&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2FyIrVwVqY1YU%2Fmusic-in-the-brain.html Discussion begins at 00:09:50 after McFerrin’s first performance. Video is inconveniently broken into five parts, all at the link below. (Source: Channel N) Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2688791 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:30:30 +0100 2688791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2615423&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2F-8GPLvNpdqc%2Fpopularity-contest.html [Above video features highlights; full episode premieres July 19.] Most Popular Would you answer a casting call like this? Contestants wanted: be judged by 100 women on your attractiveness, moral character, likeability, and fashion taste. Answer personal and embarrassing questions on camera. Crowd members will make quick, catty comments about why they don’t like you, if voted off. … Some women have very strong self-esteem and/or a strong drive to appear on TV, so here’s Most Popular, a new game show. 91% of 894 adult women polled by WEtv ”usually judge someone based on their appearance before they get to know them.” This idea underlies the show’s Moral Wheel (spin for questions about scruples, inner self, relationships - and looks) and competitive wedding... Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2615423 Sun, 19 Jul 2009 08:45:03 +0100 2615423 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2286144&cid=t_95211_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Frecognising-eight-funny-patterns.html A horse walks into a bar, orders a beer, and the bartender asks…Bud or Miller? Of course, you know the real punchline…the bartender actually asks the equine punter “why the long face?”. There, that’s two of the world’s eight jokes in the first sentence. According to evolutionary theorist Alastair Clarke there are only eight types of joke, eight patterns of humour that exist across all cultures regardless of creed, race, or personal taste, from the earliest souk to the Broadway stage. Clarke previously suggested that humour is essentially the recognition of a surprising pattern or the recognition of a deviation from a pattern. He has now defined the precise nature of the patterns involved, and demonstrates that there are a mere eight of them that give ris... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2286144 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:40:05 +0100 2286144 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1906399&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F430063963%2F If you are a blogger or read blogs often, you know that there are a good number of excellent blog carnivals focused on specific themes. If you are interested in medicine, you know what carnival to visit. Education, the same. Biology, neuroscience, nursing, birds, aging, philosophy...a variety of topics are very well covered in the blogosphere. What you probably haven't come across is a high-quality "metacarnival" or "carnival of carnivals", where you can read the best blog posts ACROSS topics, subjects, disciplines. This is why a few blog carnival "organizers" are launching next Monday a monthly rotating "MetaCarnival" to feature the most interesting posts from a variety of high-quality blog carnivals. Participating blog carnivals so far, alphabetica... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1906399 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:08:52 +0100 1906399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1886434&cid=t_95211_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Fdark-age-giants.php From Barbarians to Angels: The Dark Ages Reconsidered:Measurements taken on skeletal remains in cemeteries in southwestern Germany indicate that the average height for men was about five feet eight inches, for women about five feet four inches, statures well above those of late medieval and early modern times. Measurements taken on skeletons in other regions are comparable. In Denmark, for example, the average height for men was about five feet nine inches-just above those for southwestern Germany-and for women about five feet four inches. These average heights were not achieved again until the twentieth century. Compared with earlier and later populations in the same regions, these average measurements show that most people had adequate nutrition during most of their lives and their livin... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1886434 Sat, 18 Oct 2008 05:58:00 +0100 1886434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1886436&cid=t_95211_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Fhuman-evolution-height.php In the posts below I wanted to make clear my assumption that morbidity was likely more prevalent during the Neolithic than the Paleolithic. This does not mean of course that the Neolithic people were necessarily poorer than the Paleolithic peoples; Greg Cochran recently told me that people got healthier for obvious reasons during the Great Depression. I would not be surprised if the rate of mortality was somewhat higher than during the Paleolithic simply because the hunter-gatherer lifestyle had less buffering against disasters because trade and social networks were poorly developed so that environmental variation took a greater toll.For me the biggest point to favor the idea of increased morbidity is that heights seem to have decreased after the Neolithic revolution. It seems plausible th... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1886436 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:52:00 +0100 1886436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1883379&cid=t_95211_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Fhunter-gatherers-and-farmers-continuing.php Sandy made another response to my assertions about HG's vs. farmers and quality of life, Agriculture Reduced The Periodicity & Amplitude Of Nutritional Stress. He's done a lot of research to support his specific contentions, and certainly everything he reports is generally true. But, I don't think it's necessarily relevant or representative of the issues at hand.First, he says:I've done some reviewing of the literature and I still think that the probability that a child of an agriculturalist will reach reproductive maturity is higher than that of a hunter gatherer. Hell, that's why there's been a population boom ever since the Neolithic revolution. No, not necessarily. In a previous post he alludes to r vs. K strategies. Agriculture could simply be a r strategy. Children never born are... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1883379 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:18:00 +0100 1883379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1879925&cid=t_95211_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Flions-and-antelope.php Sandy has a post up, Why Do Women Have More Cavities?, where he reviews the John Lukacs paper I pointed to yesterday. He says:So ultimately female physiology combined with the the changes in diet and increased feritlity are the reasons why women have more cavities than men. Razib mentions that with increased fertility comes a reciprocal increase infant mortality, especially because the agricultural revolution increased communicable diseases. He concludes that hunter-gatherer infants are far more likely to reach reproductive age than infants of an agriculturalist.But I disagree. Despite the recent popularity of the paleo-diet, the real hunter gatherer lifestyle is not easy. Many hunter gatherer societies have erratic sources of nutrition, very few have regular caloric intakes. John Hawks ex... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1879925 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 07:45:00 +0100 1879925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1775585&cid=t_95211_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Fforward-into-past.php Steve points me to a John Tierney column, As Barriers Disappear, Some Gender Gaps Widen:"Humanity's jaunt into monotheism, agriculturally based economies and the monopolization of power and resources by a few men was 'unnatural' in many ways," Dr. Schmitt says, alluding to evidence that hunter-gatherers were relatively egalitarian. "In some ways modern progressive cultures are returning us psychologically to our hunter-gatherer roots," he argues. "That means high sociopolitical gender equality over all, but with men and women expressing predisposed interests in different domains. Removing the stresses of traditional agricultural societies could allow men’s, and to a lesser extent women's, more 'natural' personality traits to emerge."I've made this precise argument on this weblog for seve... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1775585 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:21:16 +0100 1775585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683084&cid=t_95211_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F08%2Fmale-dominance-not-all-that.php Tyler points me to a new paper coming out in PNAS, Male dominance rarely skews the frequency distribution of Y chromosome haplotypes in human populations. It isn't on the site yet, but New Scientist has a write up:To determine whether dominance could last more than a couple generations, Watkins and a team of anthropologists and geneticists sifted through the DNA of 1269 males from 41 Indonesian communities....Out of 41 communities, from Bali to Borneo to mainland Indonesia, only five showed evidence of long-term dominance by a few male lines....Of course, Genghis Khan proves that some powerful males can ensure their lineage - if not through prosperity, then promiscuity - but such men are rare, Watkins says."If I were to take 100 random Mongolians and follow their family lines, I wouldn't h... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683084 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:54:00 +0100 1683084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1508538&cid=t_95211_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F309311269%2F Having ADHD might be beneficial to a group of nomads in Kenya, yesterday’s Science Daily reports. Nomadic tribesmen who have an ADHD-variant of the gene DRD4 fare better have better health than those without it, but when they settle, they become malnourished. DRD4 codes for a receptor for dopamine; according to Dan Eisenberg, an anthropology graduate student from Northwestern University, “‘this gene is likely to be involved in impulsivity, reward anticipation and addiction’.” Eisenberg also notes: “The DRD4/7R allele has been linked to greater food and drug cravings, novelty-seeking, and ADHD symptoms. It is possible that in the nomadic setting, a boy with this allele might be able to more effectively defend livestock against raiders or locate food and w... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1508538 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:50:24 +0100 1508538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1484932&cid=t_95211_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F06%2Fselection-speculation-clock-and-reward.php Since so many comments lead off with some variant of "I would guess," why not try to corrall them all into one post where they could serve a purpose? Each week I'll find some area of the human genome that shows signs of recent selection, see what phenotypes the gene affects, and although I'll likely provide the most convincing story, readers can conjecture to their heart's content about what might have driven selection. It may, for once, improve the discussion to comment while still deranged from last night's drink.Let's start with the data: using Haplotter, we see that for the gene CLOCK, there is a signal of recent selection in Africans but not in Europeans or Asians. The CLOCK gene is involved in maintaining our circadian rhythm, and I started this search looking for between-group diffe... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1484932 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:39:00 +0100 1484932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1347405&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1204906746 Researchers from Canada and Japan (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1347405 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1347405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1113419&cid=t_95211_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F204852056%2F Recalling the discussion about big heads a few days ago, I was drawn to theory that cooking is the secret to humans having big brains. Richard W. Wrangham, the Ruth B. Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University’s Peabody Museum, responds to a Q & A in the December 19th Scientific American: I tend to think of the advent of cooking as having a huge impact on the quality of the diet. In fact, I can’t think of any increase in the quality of diet in the history of life that is bigger. And repeatedly we have evidence in biology of increases in dietary quality affecting bodies. The food was softer, easier to eat, with a higher density of calories—so this led to smaller guts, and, since the food was providing more energy, we see more evidence of energy u... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1113419 Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:40:21 +0100 1113419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1115346&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1196089024 (Article Link (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1115346 Mon, 26 Nov 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1115346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1005204&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1194185808 Employees who believe they are 'ethical' or 'moral' people might not be : Bad behavior seems rampant in business, and scholars are divided as to why people act ethically or unethically. Many have argued that ethical behavior is the result of simple judgments between right and wrong. Others suggest that the driving force behind ethical behavior is the individual's moral identity, or whether the individual thinks of him/herself as an ethical person. New research from the University of Washington suggests that both of these forces are at play. ... (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1005204 Sun, 04 Nov 2007 04:00:00 +0100 1005204 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1002297&cid=t_95211_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F179355727%2F “It is a possession for all time, not a competition piece to be heard for the moment, that has been composed.” So writes Thucydides, the ancient Greek historian, about his account of The Peloponnesian War. Considering that he was writing in the fifth century B.C., and about events taking place from 431-411 B.C., Thucydides was right about his work being a “possession for all time”: In light of recent political, military, and international events, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof notes that Thucydides provides a “trenchant analysis of Iraq-style adventures” that goes beyond any analogy of the Iraq war to Vietnam. I’ve been reading Thucydides’ histories tonight in preparation for my Greek history class but some more recent books have b... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1002297 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:42:29 +0100 1002297 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=968367&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1193014467 A new study published online on October 18th, 2007 in *Current Biology* reveals that adaptive changes in a human gene involved in speech and language were shared by our closest extinct relatives, the Neandertals. The finding reveals that the human form of the gene arose much earlier than scientists had estimated previously. "From the point of view of this gene (FOXP2), there is no reason to think that Neandertals would not have had the ability for language," said Johannes Krause of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. He noted, however, that many as-yet-unknown genes might underlie the capacity for language. Once found, those would have to be examined in Neandertals as well. Article Link (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=968367 Sun, 21 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 968367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=959783&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1192656727 Evidence of early humans living on the coast in South Africa, harvesting food from the sea, employing complex bladelet tools and using red pigments in symbolic behavior 164,000 years ago, far earlier than previously documented, is being reported in the Oct. 18, 2007 issue of the journal *Nature*. Archaeologists view symbolic behavior as one of the clues that modern language may have been present. The earliest bladelet technology was previously dated to 70,000 years ago, near the end of the Middle Stone Age, and the modified pigments are the earliest securely dated and published evidence for pigment use. Link To Article (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=959783 Wed, 17 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 959783 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=943017&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1191942235 A husband and wife team of biologists--Dorothy Cheney (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=943017 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 943017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=932674&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1191683616 Concerned about road safety? A trend toward lobbying for cars that look more like animals might be one consequence of a study that revealed modern people still carry the visual priorities of their hunter-gatherer ancestors. Human brains are unconsciously attuned to detecting the movement of animals more so than non-biological objects. Being aware of predators and prey was crucial for survival during our evolution. www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-09/uoc--nao092407.php (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=932674 Sat, 06 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 932674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=931142&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1191603298 New research from the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany shows that unlike humans, chimpanzees conform to traditional economic models. The research, conducted by Keith Jensen, Josep Call and Michael Tomasello, used a modification of one of the most widely used and accepted economic tools, the ultimatum game (*Science*, October 5, 2007). http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-10/m-fpi100507.php (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=931142 Fri, 05 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 931142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=918006&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1191245308 Did our capacities for maths and language evolve separately, or is maths a by-product of language? Some studies hint towards the former, but also show up the analogies between maths structures and language structures. Via the work of Rosemary Varley (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=918006 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 918006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=913482&cid=t_95211_111_f&fid=34834&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FMentalNurse%2F%7E3%2F162848548%2F A while back I posted this anthropological account of the bizarre, pen-based gift economy that takes place on psychiatric wards. We now have need of an anthropologist’s services again, in order to explain this strange encounter. A nursing auxiliary and a student nurse are sitting in the office of a psychiatric ward. A patient walks in and says that a visitor has come to see him, and wants to know if he can use one of the teapots in the kitchen to share a cup of tea with his visitor. The NA pulls a series of faces and then says, “Er….no, because the NHS Trust has to pay for the tea bags.” To explain what is going on here, I asked Professor Humphrey G Escobar, Visiting Professor of Cultural Anthropology and Recreational Pharmacology at Miskatonic University. He was ki... Mental Nurse blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=913482 Sat, 29 Sep 2007 10:54:08 +0100 913482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=909404&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1190905773 Could the behaviors evolved by social animals to make societies work be the foundation from which human morality evolved? Psychologist Dr. Jonathan Haidt (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=909404 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 909404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=907083&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1190817093 =Book Review= To prove his thesis, that both our warlike nature and our aversion to war are part of human nature, David Livingstone Smith (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=907083 Wed, 26 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 907083 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=845767&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1189011192 The study revealed that the public reverts to type when selecting a mate. According to lead researcher Peter Todd: "While humans may pride themselves on being highly evolved, most still behave like the stereotypical Neanderthals when it comes to choosing a mate." (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=845767 Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 845767 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=817749&cid=t_95211_107_f&fid=35670&url=http%3A%2F%2Fanteriorcommissure.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fbe-my-caveman-valentine.html Researchers have finally done it. A inter-institutional group from the UK has finally explored the attractiveness of cavemen.Rather, their PLoS-published paper investigates how particular facial features, such as the height of the upper face (i.e. forehead) and bizygomatic width (i.e. broadness of face, measured across cheekbones*), may have evolved in humans to best enhance facial attractiveness and, thus, help find a mate.They found that:independent of any selection pressure on overall body size, it is upper facial height (and not facial breadth) that is the potential target of selection, as male upper faces are shorter than expected for their size. A divergence in the size of male and female traits usually occurs around male puberty at 12–14 years....which is right around the time of ... The Anterior Commissure blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=817749 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 02:20:00 +0100 817749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=795124&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1186970562 (Duke University (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=795124 Sun, 12 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 795124 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=777743&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1186161927 Monkeys seem to learn the same way humans do, a new research study indicates. "Like humans, monkeys benefit enormously from being actively involved in learning instead of having information presented to them passively," said Nate Kornell, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar in psychology and lead author of the study, which appears in the August issue of the journal *Psychological Science*. "The advantage of active learning appears to be a fundamental property of memory in humans and nonhumans alike." www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070801161511.htm (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=777743 Fri, 03 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 777743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=760497&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1185462887 (BBC, Viewpoint (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=760497 Thu, 26 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 760497 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=733788&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1184337515 The study found no evidence (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=733788 Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 733788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2912339&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F06%2F28%2Fan-illustrated-history-of-trepanation%2F The operation of Trepan, from Illustrations of the Great Operations of Surgery: Trepan, Hernia, Amputation, Aneurism and Lithotomy, by Charles Bell, 1815. (John Martin Rare Book Room at the University of Iowa’s Hardin Library for the Health Sciences.) Trepanation, or trephination (both derived from the Greek word trypanon, meaning “to bore”) is perhaps the oldest form of [...] (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2912339 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:00:55 +0100 2912339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=683297&cid=t_95211_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F125881026%2F According to a study to be published in the June 19th issue of Current Biology, autistic children are able to “pick up and endorse” stereotypes about race and sex. These findings are of interest because autistic children are said to lack “theory of mind” (TOM), the ability to understand that others have different mental states—different beliefs and desires—than their own, as today’s Science Daily notes. It might thus be thought that autistic children would not pick up on stereotypes of race or sex, but the contrary was found by researchers led by Lawrence Hirschfeld, a professor of anthropology and psychology of the New School for Social Research in New York. In fact, the researchers found that autistic children who have a verbal age between 6 and ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=683297 Mon, 18 Jun 2007 19:39:58 +0100 683297 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=683161&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1182052971 Pride has perplexed philosophers and theologians for centuries, and it is an especially paradoxical emotion in American culture. We applaud rugged individualism, self-reliance and personal excellence, but too much pride can easily tip the balance toward vanity, haughtiness and self-love. Scientists have also been perplexed by this complex emotion, because it is so unlike primary emotions like fear and disgust. ... (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=683161 Sat, 16 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100 683161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3139147&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F06%2F13%2Fan-illustrated-history-of-trepanation%2F The operation of Trepan, from Illustrations of the Great Operations of Surgery: Trepan, Hernia, Amputation, Aneurism and Lithotomy, by Charles Bell, 1815. (John Martin Rare Book Room at the University of Iowa’s Hardin Library for the Health Sciences.) Trepanation, or trephination (both derived from the Greek word trypanon, meaning “to bore”) is perhaps the oldest form of [...] (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3139147 Wed, 13 Jun 2007 22:00:55 +0100 3139147 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=651069&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1180723307 University of Liverpool study suggests (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=651069 Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100 651069 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=651072&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1180553711 Study of ancient European graves (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=651072 Wed, 30 May 2007 04:00:00 +0100 651072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=623589&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1179586895 How much money would it take to get you to stick a pin into your palm? How much to stick a pin into the palm of a child you don't know? How much to slap a friend in the face (with his or her permission) as part of a comedy skit? Well, what about slapping you father (with his permission) as part of a skit? How you answer questions such as these may reveal something about your morality, and even your politics-conservatives, for example, tend to care more about issues of hierarchy and respect, while liberals concentrate on caring and fairness. (You can take a short test of your moral intuitions by visiting www.yourmorals.org (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=623589 Sat, 19 May 2007 04:00:00 +0100 623589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=612379&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F05%2F15%2Fthe-curious-case-of-the-anarchists-pickled-brain%2F The International Herald Tribune recently ran a very interesting story about the Italian anarchist Giovanni Passannante. In Naples, on 17th November, 1878, Passannante tried to assassinate Italy’s king, Umberto I of Savoy, using a small kitchen knife. The king was only slightly wounded, but was assassinated on 29th July, 1900, by another anarchist, Gaetano Bresci, [...] (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=612379 Tue, 15 May 2007 21:54:48 +0100 612379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=612380&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F05%2F15%2Fpea-brained-primates%2F From New Scientist: The earliest ancestors of old-world monkeys, apes and humans had surprisingly small brains, a new study shows. This finding - based on a newly described fossil skull - means that large brains evolved independently in new- and old-world primates. It also suggests that evolutionary anthropologists may have to rethink some cherished theories about [...] (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=612380 Tue, 15 May 2007 15:55:58 +0100 612380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=603464&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1178896926 The research presented in the review (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=603464 Fri, 11 May 2007 04:00:00 +0100 603464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=597366&cid=t_95211_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F114874938%2F No. Yes? No. Today’s Chronicle of Higher Education examines the angles of this question—-which often leads to contentious debates in autism circles—via interviews with Paul T. Shattuck, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin at Madison; Roy Richard Grinker, a professor of anthropology at George Washington University and author of Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism; and Craig J. Newschaffer, a professor of public health at Drexel University. Excerpts: Mr. Shattuck and his colleagues found that as autism rates rose, the prevalence of mental retardation and learning disabilities declined by roughly the same amount in the special-education data. Such trends suggest that states were using the new autism category to classify children who would formerl... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=597366 Tue, 08 May 2007 03:21:52 +0100 597366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=588459&cid=t_95211_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F113956227%2F Right now, 3pm CT/4pm EST, anthropologist Roy Richard Grinker, the parent of an autistic child and author of the book Unstrange Minds, joins Kerri Miller on Minnesota Public Radio to discuss his research and his views on the alarming number of children being diagnosed with autism. (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=588459 Thu, 03 May 2007 20:03:49 +0100 588459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=520608&cid=t_95211_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F106566249%2F Autism is everywhere—–by which I do not mean that, this being April and therefore Autism Awareness Month, we are hearing about autism—what it is and what to do about it—-everytime one turns around, gets on the internet, watches a popular TV show. By “autism is everywhere,” I mean that autism is a global phenomenon. Even though “most experts would……agree that nearly all their knowledge about autism spectrum disorders is based on research in North America and the United Kingdom and that little is known about autism in other parts of the world,” it is indeed the case that “autism is a brain disorder that can affect anyone in any culture”; countries like China and India—countries with huge populations—-are just... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=520608 Wed, 04 Apr 2007 12:37:54 +0100 520608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=515906&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35069&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcognews.com%2F1175493873 Look around you, says William Saletan (Source: CogNews) CogNews blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=515906 Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 515906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=486905&cid=t_95211_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F03%2F14%2Fon-the-peculiarities-of-the-negro-brain%2F Black peoples’ brains are, of course, no more or less peculiar than those of any other people. The human brain is an extraordinarily complex organ, and there are just as many differences between the brains of people from the same ethnic group as there between the brains of people from different groups. Some racial peculiarities [...] (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=486905 Wed, 14 Mar 2007 10:32:02 +0100 486905