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 'evolutionary'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:05:30 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911586&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvideos.videopress.com%2F9gXsPnud%2Frep-anthony-weiner-lewd-photo-scandal-woman-who-forced-confession-speaks-to-2020_dvd.mp4 During the summer of 2007, we published the post below in response to the sex scandal du jour involving U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA). We republished it in the wake of former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s (D) “indiscretions.”  Former U.S. Senator and Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee John Edwards’ confession had us dusting off this post yet again.  We published it again when Senator Jon Ensign (R-NV)–who in 1998 urged President Clinton to resign following the Monica Lewinsky scandal–was added to the list and then again in response to the Mark Sanford scandal and for Chris Lee’s Craig’s List shenanigans.  We’ve decided to republish the post yet again in recognition of the recent revelations regarding Arnold Schwarzen... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911586 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:43:24 +0100 4911586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4744842&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F24%2Fthe-situation-of-altruism-2%2F From UCtelevision: Christopher Boehm, Steve Frank, and Christophe Boesch explore the biological basis of the evolution of cooperation, how and why societies organize to suppress the “free-rider” and how the ecology of societies influence the evolution of cooperation and altruism Series: “CARTA – Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4744842 Sun, 24 Apr 2011 04:01:09 +0100 4744842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723958&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F17%2Fthe-psychological-situation-of-climate-change%2F Situationist friend, Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology, describes the psychological impulses that make it difficult for humans to confront the threat of global warming. Related Situationist posts: Dan Gilbert on Why the Brain Scares Itself “Dan Gilbert To Speak at Harvard Law School,” “Dan Gilbert on the Situation of Our Decisions,” “Dan Gilbert on the Situation of Psychology,” “The Situation of Climate Change,” “The Heat is On,” “The Situation of Happiness,” and “Conversation with Dan Gilbert.” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723958 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:54:35 +0100 4723958 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615202&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F21%2F25-mil%25c2%25adlion-years-of-us-vs-them%2F From World News: Like peo­ple, some of our mon­key cousins tend to take an “us ver­sus them” view of the world, a study has found. This sug­gests that the ten­den­cy for hu­man groups to clash may stem from a dis­tant ev­o­lu­tion­ary past, sci­en­tists say. Yale Un­ivers­ity re­search­ers led by psy­chol­o­gist Lau­rie San­tos found in a se­ries of ex­pe­ri­ments that mon­keys treat mon­keys from out­side their groups with the same sus­pi­cion and dis­like as their hu­man cousins tend to treat out­siders. The find­ings are re­ported in the March is­sue of the Jour­nal of Per­son­al­ity and So­cial Psy­chol­o­gy. “One of the more trou­bling as­pects of hu­man na­ture is that we eval­u­ate peo­ple dif­fer­ently de­pend­ing on wh... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615202 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 04:01:44 +0100 4615202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4527777&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F28%2Ffelix-warneken-at-harvard-law-school%2F Today, the HLS Student Association for Law and Mind Sciences (SALMS) is hosting a talk, “The Roots of Altruism – Evidence from Children and Chimpanzees,” by Harvard University professor Felix Warneken in Pound 100 from 12:00 – 1:00. In addition to teaching psychology at Harvard, Professor Warneken studies the roots of altruism by conducting experiments with chimps and infants.  Free burritos will be provided! For more information, e-mail salms@law.harvard.edu. (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4527777 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:01:23 +0100 4527777 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4472984&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F14%2Fdavid-vitter-eliot-spitzer-john-edwards-jon-ensign-mark-sanford-and-now-chris-lee-the-disposition-is-weaker-than-the-situation%2F During the summer of 2007, we published the post below in response to the sex scandal du jour involving U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA). We republished it in the wake of former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s (D) “indiscretions.”  Feormer U.S. Senator and Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee John Edwards’ confession had us dusting off this post yet again.  We published it again when Senator Jon Ensign (R-NV)–who in 1998 urged President Clinton to resign following the Monica Lewinsky scandal–was added to the list and then again in response to the Mark Sanford scandal.  For Chris Lee’s Craig’s List shenanigans (video below), we’ve decided to republish the post yet again.  (We have omitted many smaller scandals from our list... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4472984 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:01:57 +0100 4472984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4414552&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F29%2Fray-jackendoff-at-harvard-law-school%2F On Monday, the HLS Student Association for Law and Mind Sciences (SALMS) is hosting a talk by Tufts psychology professor Ray Jackendoff entitled “The Natural Logic of Morals and Laws.” Ray Jackendoff received his Ph.D. in linguistics from MIT in 1969.  His research centers around the system of meaning in natural language, how it is related to the human conceptual system, and how it is expressed linguistically.  This has led him to a cognitive approach to traditional philosophical issues of inference and reference, embodied in his theory of Conceptual Semantics.  In developing this approach, he has worked on the conceptualization of space, on the relationship between language, perception, and consciousness, and, most recently, on the conceptualization of such socially grounde... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4414552 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 04:01:47 +0100 4414552 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4281287&cid=t_202740_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007768.html Razib Khan has been dropping hints that some big story about human evolution was about to break. Finally the official announcements are here and it is quite a story. "Archaic" humans separate from Neanderthals bred with some human populations and some humans alive today carry some of their genes. Is that cool or what? Researchers have discovered evidence of a distinct group of "archaic" humans existing outside of Africa more than 30,000 years ago at a time when Neanderthals are thought to have dominated Europe and Asia. But genetic testing shows that members of this new group were not Neanderthals, and they interbred with the ancestors of some modern humans who are alive today. Well, if two such groups are... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4281287 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4281287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4025659&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F10%2F02%2Feven-monkeys-know-when-theyre-being-treated-unfairly%2F Discussion about (In)Equality,”“Inequality and the Unequal Situation of Mental and Physical Health, “The Situational Effects of (In)Equality,” “The Situational Consequences of Poverty on Brains,” “The Interior Situation of Intergenerational Poverty,” “Rich Brains, Poor Brains?,” “The Toll of Discrimination on Black Women,” “Miscalculating Welfare - Abstract” “Cheering for the Underdog,” “The Physical Pains of Discrimination,” and “The Cognitive Costs of Interracial Interactions.” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4025659 Sat, 02 Oct 2010 04:01:33 +0100 4025659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003301&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F27%2Fdaniel-dennett-to-speak-at-harvard-law-school%2F On Tuesday, September 28th, the HLS Student Association for Law and Mind Sciences (SALMS) is hosting a talk by Tufts professor Daniel Dennett entitled Free Will, Responsibility, and the Brain. Professor Dennett is the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University, as well as the co-director for the school’s Center for Cognitive Studies.  His work examines the intersection of philosophy and cognitive science in relation to religion, biology, science, and the human mind.  Professor Dennett has also contributed greatly to the fields of evolutionary theory and psychology. Professor Dennett will turn a critical eye on the recent influx of work regarding the impact of neuroscience on scholarly concepts of moral and legal responsibility. He will be speaking in Pound 101 f... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003301 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:01:13 +0100 4003301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3899461&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F08%2F25%2Flaurie-santos-on-the-evolutionary-situation-of-cognitive-biases%2F From BigThink: Dr. Laurie Santos is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Yale University. Her research provides an interface between evolutionary biology, developmental psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, exploring the evolutionary origins of the human mind by comparing the cognitive abilities of human and non-human primates. Her experiments focus on non-human primates (in captivity and in the field), incorporating methodologies from cognitive development, animal learning psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. * * * * * * From TedTalks: Laurie Santos looks for the roots of human irrationality by watching the way our primate relatives make decisions. A clever series of experiments in “monkeynomics” shows that some of the silly choices we make, monkeys make too. * * * ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3899461 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:01:03 +0100 3899461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3895936&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2F23%2Fobama-kanazawa-endogamy-and-religion%2F A recent blog entry by Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist, recently came across my desk that made the outrageous claim that one cannot chose one’s religion. If one’s family is a Muslim, you will be too, no matter what you actually practice — genetically speaking. He relates this piece of news by suggesting that Obama cannot choose to be a Christian, because his family was a Muslim. He suggests that, genetically, Obama is a Muslim no matter what he practices. If this doesn’t pass the basic logic smell test for you, then you’re not alone. Like other world religions, Islam not only is a religion but also comprises largely endogamous ethnic groups. When a group of individuals remain largely or entirely endogamous (marry only other members of the group ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3895936 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:27:31 +0100 3895936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3876606&cid=t_202740_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007414.html The common maternal ancestor of all humans might have lived 200,000 years ago. HOUSTON -- (Aug. 17, 2010) -- The most robust statistical examination to date of our species' genetic links to "mitochondrial Eve" -- the maternal ancestor of all living humans -- confirms that she lived about 200,000 years ago. The Rice University study was based on a side-by-side comparison of 10 human genetic models that each aim to determine when Eve lived using a very different set of assumptions about the way humans migrated, expanded and spread across Earth. The research is available online in the journal Theoretical Population Biology. "Our findings underscore the importance of taking into account the random nature of population processes like growth and... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3876606 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3876606 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3816473&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F16889185%2F1ngu01%2Fneuromarketing%7EVirtual-Coolness.htm Evolutionary psychology suggests that we humans are all about conspicuous consumption. Displaying expensive or hard to find items raises our status and may suggest a higher degree of “fitness” as a mate (i.e., health and resources). This drive extends even to the virtual world, according to a study conducted by Spent author Geoffrey [...] CommentsThe neuromarketing firm has already gone virtual. ... by Jennifer (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3816473 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:04:36 +0100 3816473 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3750043&cid=t_202740_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBajCOojQbZg%2F By Jason KuznickiPolitical scientist Larry Arnhart heads this month’s Cato Unbound. He argues that libertarians need to integrate biological evolution into their thinking about human cultures and even politics. More provocatively, he claims that the “a Darwinian science of human evolution supports classical liberalism.” This is the case, he argues, even though market competition differ[s] radically from biological competition. Biological competition is a zero-sum game where the survival of one organism is at the expense of others competing for the same scarce resources. But market competition is a positive-sum game where all the participants can gain from voluntary exchanges with one another. In a liberal society of free markets based on voluntary exchanges, success dep... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3750043 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:10:48 +0100 3750043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3787023&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F15059553%2F1mddxt%2Fneuromarketing%7EWhy-Stories-Sell.htm We know that anecdotes can be a convincing way to sell a product, particularly if the story is told by someone we trust. (See Your Brain on Stories.) Evolutionary psychology may offer a reason. Human brains evolved when we had just two ways to learn about dangers and rewards in their environment: [...] CommentsContinuing upon what Victor wrote … Facts tell, stories sell ... by Rob ShermanI just think we are connected in a spiritual sense to something ... by Marc MillanPlus 8 more... (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3787023 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:13:55 +0100 3787023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3683693&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F22%2Fthe-situation-of-subjects%2F Joe Henrich, Stephen Heine,  and Ara Norenzayan recently posted their paper, “The Weirdest People in the World?” on SSRN.  Here’s the abstract. * * * Behavioral scientists routinely publish broad claims about human psychology and behavior in the world’s top journals based on samples drawn entirely from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic (WEIRD) societies. Researchers – often implicitly – assume that either there is little variation across human populations, or that these “standard subjects” are as representative of the species as any other population. Are these assumptions justified? Here, our review of the comparative database from across the behavioral sciences suggests both that there is substantial variability in experimental re... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3683693 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 04:01:57 +0100 3683693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3659010&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F13718290%2F1hf75n%2Fneuromarketing%7ESpent-Sex-Evolution-and-Consumer-Behavior.htm Book Review: Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior by Geoffrey Miller “Marketing is not just one of the most important ideas in business. It has become the dominant force in human culture.” This is how evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller leads into an early chapter on the importance of marketing. In spent, Miller sets out [...] (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3659010 Mon, 24 May 2010 12:44:20 +0100 3659010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3552204&cid=t_202740_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2F177793%2F Is there some evolutionary advantage to mental illness? The New York Times suggested recently that maybe depression can be good for you, but now GNXP argues that mental illness is detrimental fitness. Post from: BlissTree (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3552204 Tue, 11 May 2010 13:16:04 +0100 3552204 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3460323&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34995&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.discovermagazine.com%2Fgnxp%2F2010%2F04%2Fwhen-a-trait-isnt-a-trait-isnt-a-trait%2F One of the great things about evolutionary theory is that it is a formal abstraction of specific concrete aspects of reality and dynamics. It allows us to squeeze inferential juice from incomplete prior knowledge of the state of nature. In other words, you can make predictions and models instead of having to observe every last detail of the natural world. But abstractions, models and formalisms often leave out extraneous details. Sometimes those details turn out not to be so extraneous. Charles Darwin’s original theory of evolution had no coherent or plausible mechanism of inheritance. R. A. Fisher and others imported the empirical reality of Mendelism into the logic of evolutionary theory, to produce the framework of 20th century population genetics. Though accepting the genetic inh... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3460323 Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:15:19 +0100 3460323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3425047&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34995&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fgnxp%2F%7E3%2F4Fh7Dx0mlBU%2F Below I note that sex matters when it comes to evolution, specifically in the case of how sexual reproduction forces the bits of the genome to be passed back and forth across sexes. In fact, the origin of sex is arguably the most important evolutionary question after the origin of species, and it remains one of the most active areas of research in evolutionary genetics. More specifically the existence of males, who do not bear offspring themselves but seem to be transient gene carriers is a major conundrum. But that’s not the main issue in this post. Let’s take the existence of males as a given. How do sex differences play out in evolutionary terms shaping other phenotypes? Consider Bateman’s principle: Bateman’s principle is the theory that females almost always in... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3425047 Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:25:11 +0100 3425047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3425049&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34995&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fgnxp%2F%7E3%2F_xbiJcH7r8A%2F Earlier I pointed to the possibility of biophysical constraints and parameters in terms of inheritance shaping the local trajectory of evolution. Today Olivia Judson has a nice post [link fixed] on how the existence of two sexes in many species results in a strange metastable tug-of-war in terms of phenotypic evolution: In sum, the traits that make a “good” male are often different from those that make a “good” female. (Note: I’m only talking about “good” in evolutionary terms. That means a trait that improves your chance of having surviving offspring.) Since many of these traits have a genetic underpinning, male and female genes are thus being sculpted by different forces. But — and this is the source of the tension I mentioned — males and females are formed from the sam... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3425049 Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:21:03 +0100 3425049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3420673&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34995&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fgnxp%2F%7E3%2FfcpVzeFsO0M%2F Last week Nature published a paper which may have found a new ‘branch’ of the hominin evolutionary bush which may have been coexistent which modern humans and Neandertals. I recommend The Atavism, Carl and John Hawks on this story. Interesting times. (Source: Gene Expression) Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3420673 Sun, 28 Mar 2010 07:41:48 +0100 3420673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3318451&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F01%2Fthe-situation-of-political-and-religious-beliefs%2F Science Daily summarized an intriguing (and, no doubt, soon-to-be-very-controversial study) finding that “Intelligent People Have Values Novel in Human Evolutionary History,” (such as liberalism and atheisim).  Here are some excerpts from that summary. * * * More intelligent people are statistically significantly more likely to exhibit social values and religious and political preferences that are novel to the human species in evolutionary history.  Specifically, liberalism and atheism, and for men (but not women), preference for sexual exclusivity correlate with higher intelligence, a new study finds. The study, published in the March 2010 issue of the peer-reviewed scientific journal Social Psychology Quarterly, advances a new theory to explain why people form particular pr... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3318451 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:59:45 +0100 3318451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231101&cid=t_202740_77_f&fid=37259&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.horizonpress.com%2Fblogger%2F2010%2F02%2Fevolution-of-plastids.html Photosynthesis is one of the most successful energy production strategies on the planet and has been co-opted numerous times throughout evolutionary history via the uptake and retention of photosynthetic cells by non-photosynthetic eukaryotic heterotrophs. Whereas the result of this process is clear, what is not settled is the mode and tempo of plastid movement among eukaryotes, particularly plastids of red algal derivation. Recent changes in our understanding of the relationships between eukaryotic supergroups have only served to complicate the picture further. Of particular interest is the evolution of plastids, the relationships among photosynthetic eukaryotes, the process of endosymbiogenesis and the variation in ways plastids have been modified to suit the light harvesting needs of th... Microbiology Blog: The weblog for microbiologists. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231101 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:40:00 +0100 3231101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3193933&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2Fwhat-era-are-our-intuitions-about.php Well, just the way I asked it, our gut feelings about the economically powerful are obviously not a product of hunter-gatherer life, given that such societies have minimal hierarchy, and so minimal disparities in power, material wealth, privileges of all kinds, etc. Hunter-gatherers don't even tolerate would-be elite-strivers, so beyond a blanket condemnation of trying to be a big-shot, they don't have the subtler attitudes that agricultural and industrial people do -- these latter groups tolerate and somewhat respect elites but resent and envy them at the same time.So that leaves two major eras -- agricultural and industrial societies. I'm going to refer to these instead by terms that North, Wallis, & Weingast use in their excellent book Violence and Social Orders. Their framework for... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3193933 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:36:00 +0100 3193933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3182313&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F01%2Fblind-men-prefer-thin-waisted-women.php We report evidence showing that congenitally blind men, without previous visual experience, exhibit a preference for low female WHRs when assessing female body shapes through touch, as do their sighted counterparts. This finding shows that a preference for low WHR can develop in the complete absence of visual input and, hence, that such input is not necessary for the preference to develop. However, the strength of the preference was greater for the sighted than the blind men, suggesting that visual input might play a role in reinforcing the preference. These results have implications for debates concerning the evolutionary and developmental origins of human mate preferences, in particular, regarding the role of visual media in shaping such preferences.Full description of the research here.... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3182313 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:17:00 +0100 3182313 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3071411&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F12%2Fmating-mouth.php Gingival Transcriptome Patterns During Induction and Resolution of Experimental Gingivitis in Humans:A relatively small subset (11.9%) of the immune response genes analyzed by array was transiently activated in response to biofilm overgrowth, suggesting a degree of specificity in the transcriptome-expression response. The fact that this same subset demonstrates a reversal in expression patterns during clinical resolution implicates these genes as being critical for maintaining tissue homeostasis at the biofilm–gingival interface. In addition to the immune response pathway as the dominant response theme, new candidate genes and pathways were identified as being selectively modulated in experimental gingivitis, including neural processes, epithelial defenses, angiogenesis, and wound healin... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3071411 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:12:00 +0100 3071411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3071228&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F09%2Fthe-situation-of-kindness%2F Yamin Anwar wrote an interesting press release about recent and ongoing research at University of California, Berkeley suggesting that the kindest, and not just the fittest, survive.   Here are some excerpts. * * * Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are challenging long-held beliefs that human beings are wired to be selfish. In a wide range of studies, social scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive. In contrast to “every man for himself” interpretations of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley psychologist and author of “Born to be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life,” a... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3071228 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:01:24 +0100 3071228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2992798&cid=t_202740_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=2782233&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2Fwhats-natural-is-heterogenous.php Seems to be the "take away" message from Bryan Caplan's post, Monogamy and Heterogeneity. Interestingly, I've run into nature-based arguments in regards to human behavior and norms (e.g., "it's the natural way" or "it's against nature") mostly from two sets, back-to-nature-hippies and social conservatives. As Caplan suggests there is a tendency in these cases for the two groups to generalize from their own likely innate preferences, though the defections and deviations from both groups over time suggest that there's a lot of heterogeneity within them and some people are just conforming to the ideologies and leaders of their packs. Humans are supposed to have good Theory of Mind, but I think even that is a little outmatched by the enormous sample space of possible choices available in a pos... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2782233 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:43:00 +0100 2782233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2768785&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2Fshe-so-hot.php Interacting with women can impair men's cognitive functioning:The present research tested the prediction that mixed-sex interactions may temporarily impair cognitive functioning. Two studies, in which participants interacted either with a same-sex or opposite-sex other, demonstrated that men's (but not women's) cognitive performance declined following a mixed-sex encounter. In line with our theoretical reasoning, this effect occurred more strongly to the extent that the opposite-sex other was perceived as more attractive (Study 1), and to the extent that participants reported higher levels of impression management motivation (Study 2). Implications for the general role of interpersonal processes in cognitive functioning, and some practical implications, are discussed.Everything fits intuit... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2768785 Sat, 05 Sep 2009 02:14:00 +0100 2768785 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2630313&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F07%2Fjerry-fodor-charles-darwin-and-natural.php Over at ScienceBlog:I would like to invite discussion on my paper, On Fodor on Darwin On Evolution, which is a critique of Jerry Fodor's Hugues Leblanc Lectures at UQAM on "What Darwin Got Wrong"....Jerry Fodor argues that Darwin was wrong about "natural selection" because (1) it is only a tautology rather than a scientific law that can support counterfactuals ("If X had happened, Y would have happened") and because (2) only minds can select. Hence Darwin's analogy with "artificial selection" by animal breeders was misleading and evolutionary explanation is nothing but post-hoc historical narrative. I argue that Darwin was right on all counts. Until Darwin's "tautology," it had been believed that either (a) God had created all organisms as they are, or (b) organisms had always been as they... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2630313 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:10:00 +0100 2630313 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060679&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.davemsw.com%2Farchives%2F2009%2F07%2Ffinding_meaning_in_research.php Image via Wikipedia I very much enjoyed recent exchange on Psychotherapy Brown Bag. I find myself frequently thinking of the implications of our approach to research and how it contributes to our understanding of psychology. "Intuition is, by no means, useless. A half-century ago, Karl Popper (1959) gave an answer to this that today remains powerfully compelling. Intuition, inductive reasoning, and philosophical theories are extremely valuable as the first step of a multi-step process. He termed this step the "context of discovery." His point was that we need creative thought, outside-the-box thinking, and alternative perspectives in order to drive progress, but that our thoughts, no matter how elegant, can not be the end point. We need to follow up this stage with deductive reasoning -... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060679 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:51:29 +0100 4060679 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2523412&cid=t_202740_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fny-times-op-ed-on-evolutionary_26.html Admission-----I've never done any deep serious reading on evolutionary psychology, although it has played a prominent role in some contemporary intelligence research.  I, like most others, find the explanations interesting and fun to discuss.  I wish I had time to read and study the state-of-the art literature on intelligence and evolutionary psychology.  Today there was an NY Times Op Ed piece suggesting that EP has been overstated...in reaction to Geoffrey Millers new book "Spent:  Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior."  I've reproduced the text of the Op Ed below (courtesy of my new latest fun toy...my Kindle DX- which I LOVE).  I don't know.  I offer up this Op Ed. as FYI...and hope it generates some comments.  In particular, I'd be interested in readers who are well acquainte... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2523412 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:32:00 +0100 2523412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2469819&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F06%2Fsex-ratio-and-behavior.php When Young Men Are Scarce, They're More Likely To Play The Field Than To Propose:In places where young women outnumber young men, research shows the hemlines rise but the marriage rates don't because the young men feel less pressure to settle down as more women compete for their affections.But when those men reach their 30s, the reverse is true and proportionately more older men are married in areas where women outnumber men.The original paper is here. (Source: Gene Expression) Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2469819 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:10:00 +0100 2469819 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2464090&cid=t_202740_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0qhfSNKvets%2F This month’s Cato Unbound features Robert Wright, who offers us an excerpt from his new book, The Evolution of God. He looks at the possibility of religious tolerance from a game theoretic and evolutionary psychology perspective: Is there a fundamental “clash of civilizations” between Islam and the West? Or just a communication failure? Wright argues that we can work toward understanding by realizing the limits and biases of human moral reasoning: You might not guess it to read the headlines, but by and large the relationship between “the West” and “the Muslim World” is non-zero-sum. To be sure, the relationship between some Muslims and the West is zero-sum. Terrorist leaders have aims that are at odds with the welfare of Westerners. The West’s goal is to hurt t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2464090 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:53:46 +0100 2464090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405834&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F05%2Fkeeping-your-head.php Life histories, blood revenge, and reproductive success among the Waorani of Ecuador:The Waorani may have the highest rate of homicide of any society known to anthropology. We interviewed 121 Waorani elders of both sexes to obtain genealogical information and recollections of raids in which they and their relatives participated. We also obtained complete raiding histories of 95 warriors. An analysis of the raiding histories, marital trajectories, and reproductive histories of these men reveals that more aggressive warriors have lower indices of reproductive success than their milder brethren. This result contrasts the findings of Chagnon...for the Yanomamo. We suggest that the spacing of revenge raids may be involved in the explanation of why the consequences of aggressiveness differ betwe... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405834 Wed, 13 May 2009 09:22:00 +0100 2405834 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323422&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F03%2Fevolving-to-become-more-miserable.php In A Farewell to Alms, Gregory Clark provides data on interest rates to show that Europeans gradually developed lower time preferences. In other words, they were more likely to delay gratification and plan for the future -- paying back loans, for example. He also interprets data on wills as showing that most people of English descent today are the genetic legacy of the middle class, the poor and the aristocracy mostly having failed to reproduce themselves. That leaves us with a society where the average person maximizes their long-term material welfare much better than their counterparts would have in the Middle Ages or before. There appears to be somewhat of a drawback, though: doing so makes you more miserable over the long term.John Tierney recently reviewed a series of studies on how t... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323422 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:59:00 +0100 2323422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2295390&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F03%2Ffinnish-type-personalities-have-more.php We examined whether four subcomponents of type-A personality-leadership, hard-driving, eagerness, and aggressiveness—assessed at the age of 12 to 21 years predicted the likelihood of having children by the age of 39 in a population-based sample of Finnish women and men (N=1,313). Survival analyses indicated that high adolescent leadership increased adulthood fertility in men and women, independently of education level and urbanicity of residence. The findings suggest that personality determinants of status achievement may predict increased reproductive success in contemporary humans.In Finland a "Type-A Personality" presumably refers to someone willing to make eye contact with family members. In any case I think this table is probably the most informative:The main caveat which is stated ... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2295390 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:45:00 +0100 2295390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2232541&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2F04%2Fis-morality-a-basic-instinct%2F Many people assume that morality — our sense of what is “right” and just in this world versus what is wrong — is something we formulate through a process of time, experience and thinking. We equate morality with higher reasoning and not a base instinct like hunger or the need for shelter. New research out from the University of Toronto suggests that perhaps such thinking is wrong. In the study, the scientists examined facial movements when participants tasted unpleasant liquids and looked at photographs of disgusting objects such as dirty toilets or injuries. They compared these to their facial movements when they were subjected to unfair treatment in a laboratory game. The U of T team found that people make similar facial movements in response to both primitive ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2232541 Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:33:15 +0100 2232541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2178778&cid=t_202740_88_f&fid=38203&url=http%3A%2F%2Fprecordialthump.medbrains.net%2F2009%2F02%2F11%2Fhappy-darwin-day%2F February 12th 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of my favourite medical dropout, Charles Darwin. Darwin Day is a way of celebrating the great man’s contribution to science (The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online) and, more generally, the importance of science to humanity. “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge; it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.” - Charles Darwin Be sure to have a celebratory bowl of primordial soup (!) while you watch Richard Dawkins‘ uncut interview with Randolph Nesse on evolutionary medicine (from  “The Genius of Charles Darwin“): [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed... AEQUANIMITAS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2178778 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:22:58 +0100 2178778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2167711&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F02%2Fwhat-men-women-what.php FuturePundit has a post, Mate Preference Trends:Strip away tradition. Strip away religious beliefs. What happens? Men and women are looking at each other in ways that seem even more influenced by their evolutionary heritage. The mating market looks like it is becoming more competitive.He goes on to observe that men are becoming more interested in a potential mate's earning power, and far less in chastity (I do think that there's also a supply issue here shifting the rank order of preferences, if you know what I mean). Women, like men, now prioritize romantic love. What's going on?If we take these data at face value I think that in some ways evolutionary psychology is becoming more, not less, salient in terms of our life choices. In many "traditional" societies mate choice is highly constra... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2167711 Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:17:00 +0100 2167711 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2153344&cid=t_202740_93_f&fid=36982&url=http%3A%2F%2Fprep4md.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Frichard-dawkins-interviews-randolph.html Randolph Nesse is the author of "Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine""Why, in a body of such exquisite design, are there a thousand flaws and frailties that make us vulnerable to disease?..."Amazon's review: "Is our tendency to "fix" our bodies with medicine keeping them from working exactly as they're supposed to? Two pioneers of the emerging science of Darwinian medicine argue that illness is part and parcel of the evolutionary system and as such, may be helping us to evolve towards better adaptation to our environment."Thanks for reading :) ... http://prep4md.blogspot.com/ (Source: My M.D. Journey!) My M.D. Journey! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2153344 Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:47:00 +0100 2153344 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1969494&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F18%2Fsituationism-in-the-news-october%2F Below, we’ve posted titles and a brief quotation from some of the Situationist news items of October 2008. (They are listed in alphabetical order by source.) * * * From Battle of Ideas: “The dubious science of evolutionary psychology” “Evolutionary psychology prides itself on being a valid, scientific account of human psychology (and behaviour) by tying itself to the scientific theory of natural evolution. But evolution is an explanation of physical, anatomical traits . . . The plausibility of evolutionary psychology rests on the question of whether psychological attributes (patriotism, altruism, romantic love, aesthetic judgments, logical reasoning, recollecting your grandmother’s birthday, and studying to get into college) are analogous to anatomical structures in the... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1969494 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:20:36 +0100 1969494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1918045&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Fevolution-and-trustworthiness.php Evolution of trust and trustworthiness: social awareness favours personality differences (Open Access):Interest in the evolution and maintenance of personality is burgeoning. Individuals of diverse animal species differ in their aggressiveness, fearfulness, sociability and activity. Strong trade-offs, mutation-selection balance, spatio-temporal fluctuations in selection, frequency dependence and good-genes mate choice are invoked to explain heritable personality variation, yet for continuous behavioural traits, it remains unclear which selective force is likely to maintain distinct polymorphisms. Using a model of trust and cooperation, we show how allowing individuals to monitor each other's cooperative tendencies, at a cost, can select for heritable polymorphisms in trustworthiness. This ... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1918045 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:20:00 +0100 1918045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1883377&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FCafePeuTdPs%2F Genes that cause disease have been traced back to the origin of the first cell, scientists from Max Planck found. A novel method of genomic phylostratigraphy has recontructed the evolutionary origin of disease-causing genes in humans, and the results have surprising implications. Tomislav Domazet-Lošo and Diethard Tautz from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön (Germany) applied genomic phylostratigraphy to determine that most disease genes originated with the ‘first cell’, and other large groups of genes emerged around the appearance of multi-cellular organisms. BUT no disease-associated genes emerged after the origin of mammals. What exactly do these results mean? According to the researchers - all living things will be affected by similar g... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1883377 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:56:02 +0100 1883377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1868565&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Fwhy-some-material-is-unmentionable.php Slate has some very interesting excerpts from The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters posted today. The reality that a great deal of the illness in today's world is caused by fecal contamination is well known. The proximate cause of many minor illnesses is mild food poisoning, but food poisoning itself is ultimately generally caused by poor hygiene.  It seems straightforward to imagine that poor sanitation can be a significant drain on economic productivity. But on this weblog we've also addressed the possibility of pathogens playing a role in changing personalities and temperaments. In Farewell to Alms Greg Clark made the case that the greater mortality due to poor hygiene shifted the death schedule and so relieved Malthusian pressure. In contrast, Ea... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1868565 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 02:18:00 +0100 1868565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1856106&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Fcan-someone-put-psychic-unity-of-makind.php Evolutionary emergence of responsive and unresponsive personalities:In many animal species, individuals differ consistently in suites of correlated behaviors, comparable with human personalities. Increasing evidence suggests that one of the fundamental factors structuring personality differences is the responsiveness of individuals to environmental stimuli. Whereas some individuals tend to be highly responsive to such stimuli, others are unresponsive and show routine-like behaviors. Much research has focused on the proximate causes of these differences but little is known about their evolutionary origin. Here, we provide an evolutionary explanation. We develop a simple but general evolutionary model that is based on two key ingredients. First, the benefits of responsiveness are frequency-d... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1856106 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:14:00 +0100 1856106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1844788&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Frussian-dudes-are-imperialists.php Dynamics of Alliance Formation and the Egalitarian Revolution:Background:Arguably the most influential force in human history is the formation of social coalitions and alliances (i.e., long-lasting coalitions) and their impact on individual power. Understanding the dynamics of alliance formation and its consequences for biological, social, and cultural evolution is a formidable theoretical challenge. In most great ape species, coalitions occur at individual and group levels and among both kin and non-kin. Nonetheless, ape societies remain essentially hierarchical, and coalitions rarely weaken social inequality. In contrast, human hunter-gatherers show a remarkable tendency to egalitarianism, and human coalitions and alliances occur not only among individuals and groups, but also among grou... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1844788 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:23:00 +0100 1844788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1802676&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F09%2F18%2Four-complex-brains%2F So after a decade or more of modern neuroscience research using fMRI and other advanced imaging scans as well as extensive gene studies, what do we know about the brain? It is a far more complex organ than we previously had imagined. A great article in this week’s edition of Newsweek by the editor in chief of the Harvard Mental Health letter, Michael Craig Miller, describes the difficulty in understanding emotions in the brain: Last year Drs. Peter J. Freed and J. John Mann, publishing in The American Journal of Psychiatry, reported on the literature of sadness and the brain. In 22 studies, brain scans were performed on nondepressed but sad volunteers. Sadness was mostly induced (subjects were shown sad pictures or films, asked to remember a sad event), although, in a couple of s... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1802676 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:52:43 +0100 1802676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1798203&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Finterest-typical-faces.php Attraction 'down to testosterone':Dr Ben Jones, a psychology lecturer, said: "People preferred different types of face in the session where their testosterone level was highest than in the session where it was lowest."When men's testosterone levels were high, they were more attracted to feminine women. When women's testosterone levels were high, they were more attracted to masculine men."Since masculine men and feminine women are thought to produce the healthiest children and sex drive is higher when testosterone levels are also high, these findings suggest that men and women in hormonal states where their interest in sex is highest, show stronger attraction to high quality - or healthy - mates."They used a survey. Is there any way that fMRI would add more value or precision? This hasn't ... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1798203 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:09:00 +0100 1798203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1773221&cid=t_202740_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005518.html In our future we will create new species out of genetic pieces of existing species. Some of these species might some day challenge us for dominion over planet Earth. Scientists... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1773221 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1773221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1603090&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F07%2Fbooks-of-interest.php Some sources/influences on my previous post, and my thinking in general, are listed below. I'm not recommending that everyone run off and buy all of these books, but they might pique your curiosity. Of course, to the extent one has time, it's always good to read and re-read the classic h-bd/evolutionary psychology writers such as Herrnstein & Murray, Sailer, Pinker, Dawkins, Dennet, and E.O. Wilson.I consider all of these works, as those of Murray, Sailer, Pinker, Plomin et. al. to be good examples of what George Orwell called "the empirical habit of thought," which I believe is critical to understanding human diversity and defeating what Godless Capitalist termed the "Death Star 2.0" [see comments] version of PC. In fact, all the books below except (perhaps) for the textbook Multivari... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1603090 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:21:00 +0100 1603090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1443299&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F05%2F14%2Fthe-endowment-effect-in-chimpanzees-abstract%2F Sarah F. Brosnan, Owen D. Jones, Susan P. Lambeth, Mary Catherine Mareno, Amanda S. Richardson, and Steven Schapiro, posted their article, “Endowment Effects in Chimpanzees” 17 Current Biology, 1704-1707 (October 9, 2007) on SSRN. Here’s the abstract. * * * Human behavior is not always consistent with standard rational choice predictions. The much-investigated variety of apparent deviations from rational choice predictions provides a promising arena for the merger of economics and biology. Although little is known about the extent to which other species also exhibit these seemingly irrational patterns of human decision-making and choice behavior, similarities across species would suggest a common evolutionary root to the phenomena. The present study investigated whether ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1443299 Thu, 15 May 2008 02:42:29 +0100 1443299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1400771&cid=t_202740_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F04%2F26%2Fa-new-theory-of-the-endowment-effect-abstract%2F Owen Jones and Sarah Brosnan have posted their article, “Law, Biology, and Property: A New Theory of the Endowment Effect” 48 William & Mary Law Review (2008) on SSRN. We’ve included the abstract below. * * * Recent work at the intersection of law and behavioral biology has suggested numerous contexts in which legal thinking could benefit by integrating knowledge from behavioral biology. In one of those contexts, behavioral biology may help to provide theoretical foundation for, and potentially increased predictive power concerning, various psychological traits relevant to law. This Article describes an experiment that explores that context. The paradoxical psychological bias known as the endowment effect puzzles economists, skews market behavior, impedes effi... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1400771 Sat, 26 Apr 2008 04:01:55 +0100 1400771 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1249061&cid=t_202740_122_f&fid=36506&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainSciencePodcastBlog%2F%7E3%2F239116736%2F Episode 30 of the Brain Science Podcast was devoted to the subject of language evolution. In that episode I mentioned Steven Jay Gould’s claim that language was a spandrel, an incidental by-product of evolution. Gould’s co-author on his famous 1970’s paper about spandrels was Richard Lewontin, who is well-known for disagreeing with prevailing opinions in evolution. At the recent annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science he reportedly gave a talk that discounted all the current theories about brain evolution. I have not read the transcript of his lecture, but I just finished reading Georg Striedter’s comprehensive textbook, Principles of Brain Evolution (2005). This text is highly regarded by leaders in neuroscience research like Micha... the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1249061 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:09:06 +0100 1249061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1240330&cid=t_202740_122_f&fid=36506&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainSciencePodcastBlog%2F%7E3%2F237366969%2F The Science magazine podcast is providing highlights from this year’s AAAS meeting in Boston. So far, I found the discussion of the evolution of morality with Marc Hauser and several other scientists to very interesting. One issue that was raised was whether the utility of a theory depends on its ability to generate testable hypotheses. Listen and let me know what you think. (Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell) the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1240330 Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:21:03 +0100 1240330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1234661&cid=t_202740_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2F235691266%2Fboys-suck-science-proves-it.html Evolutionary biologist Virpi Lummaa has discovered that Finnish women in previous generations suffered a variety of adverse effects when they bore and raised sons. Among the impacts: a reduced... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Women's Bioethics Blog) Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1234661 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:10:10 +0100 1234661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1218468&cid=t_202740_122_f&fid=36506&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainSciencePodcastBlog%2F%7E3%2F231609334%2F Discussion of The First Idea Brain Science Podcast #7: Interview about bonobos Steven Jay Gould Steven Pinker and Paul Bloom Philip Leiberman *References: Pinker, Steven, and Paul Bloom, “Natural Language and Natural Selection,” Behavioral and Brains Sciences 13 (1990): 707-84. Marc D. Hauser, Noam Chomsky, and W. Tecumseh Fitch (2002). “The Faculty of Language: What Is It, Who Has It, and How Did It Evolve?” Science 298:1569-1579. Christine Kenneally, The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language (2007). Stanley I. Greenspan and Stuart G. Shanker, The First Idea: How Symbols, Language, and Intelligence Evolved from our Primate Ancestors to Modern Humans (2004). *Additional references can be found in Kenneally’s book and at the websites of the scie... the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1218468 Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:09:24 +0100 1218468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1173244&cid=t_202740_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F01%2Ffitness-is-scalable-for-rich.php When fecundity does not equal fitness: evidence of an offspring quantity versus quality trade-off in pre-industrial humans:Maternal fitness should be maximized by the optimal division of reproductive investment between offspring number and offspring quality...We used a dataset of humans spanning three generations from pre-industrial Finland to test how increases in maternal fecundity affect offspring quality and maternal fitness in contrasting socio-economic conditions. For 'resource-poor' landless families, but not 'resource-rich' landowning families, maternal fitness returns diminished with increased maternal fecundity. This was because the average offspring contribution to maternal fitness declined with increased maternal fecundity for landless but not landowning families. This decline ... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1173244 Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:23:00 +0100 1173244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1015734&cid=t_202740_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2007%2F11%2Feven-more-ludicrous-teleology-from-evolutionary-psychologists%2F If academic funding was determined by newspaper coverage we would never research anything but MMR and evolutionary psychology. Which is fine. (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1015734 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:20:45 +0100 1015734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=835412&cid=t_202740_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D520 [This piece got massively cut for space in the paper, fair enough but personally I can’t bear to look. Here’s the last version I saw, with added email action from Professor Weber at the bottom.] Ben Goldacre The Guardian September 1st, 2007 “Jessica Alba has the perfect wiggle, study says”. You have to respect a paper like the Telegraph, [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=835412 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:21:32 +0100 835412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=821308&cid=t_202740_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D518 Ben Goldacre The Guardian Saturday August 25 2007 I want you to know that I love evolutionary psychologists, because the ideas, like “girls prefer pink because they need to be better at hunting berries” are so much fun. Sure there are problems, like, we don’t know a lot about life in the pleistocene period through which humans evolved; [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=821308 Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:35:56 +0100 821308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=783946&cid=t_202740_107_f&fid=35026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphylogenomics.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fwhy-all-medical-professionals-need-to.html As an evolutionary biologist with a 50% appointment in a medical school (in the Med. Micro. and Immunology department at U. C. Davis - my other 50% is in the Section of Evolution and Ecology on the main campus) I am somewhat dismayed by the lack of attention evolution receives in Medical Schools.So I am starting a new thread here on my blog about why medical professionals need to understand evolutionary biology. First, there is a great site out there for people who want to learn more called the "Evolution and Medicine Network" which has links to courses, articles, books, etc.Here are my top 10 picks for reasons medical professional need to understand evolutionAntibiotic resistance. The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance is one of the most vexing issues in medicine right now as w... The Tree of Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=783946 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 05:00:00 +0100 783946 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676116&cid=t_202740_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F06%2F09%2Fsea-sponges-have-the-makings-of-a-nervous-system%2F Sea sponges are sedentary organisms that attach themselves to the sea bed and filter nutrients from the water that they force through their porous bodies with flagella. They are the most primitive of all multicellular animals, with just four different types of cells making up partially differentiated tissues in a simply organized body. Because [...] (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676116 Sat, 09 Jun 2007 13:59:04 +0100 676116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=612378&cid=t_202740_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F05%2F16%2Fdarwins-letters-go-online%2F The Darwin Correspondence Project is a database of 5,000 letters written by and to the great naturalist Charles Darwin. The database, which was compiled by researchers at the University of Cambridge, has just gone online. It includes all the letters written by Darwin during his voyage on the H. M. S. Beagle, as well as [...] (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=612378 Wed, 16 May 2007 14:39:37 +0100 612378 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=557436&cid=t_202740_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F04%2F20%2Fwe-may-have-inherited-our-brain-from-an-ancient-worm%2F Despite their differences, vertebrates, worms and insects are all believed to be descended from a common ancestor - a worm-like organism, named Urbilateria, which lived some 600 million years ago. Urbilateria displayed bilateral symmetry - its body was symmetrical along its longitudinal axis - and this body plan was inherited by the diverse array of [...] (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=557436 Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:31:44 +0100 557436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=486911&cid=t_202740_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F03%2F09%2Frobo-salamander-provides-clues-about-evolution-of-vertebrate-locomotion%2F The phrase “running around like a headless chicken” is based on the observation that a chicken can flap its wings or run around frantically for several seconds after being decapitated. These movements are executed by the brain, and controlled by neural circuitry in the spinal cord, where networks of neurons, called central pattern generators (CPGs), [...] (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=486911 Fri, 09 Mar 2007 21:21:53 +0100 486911