Wintz

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  • March 5, 2010
  • 06:00 PM
  • 63 views

Culture and the human genome: a synthesis of genetics and the human sciences

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

Humans are immersed in culture from birth. It is so fundamental to our experience, and what it means to be human itself, yet we often overlook the consideration that “cultural practices might have transformed the selection pressures acting on humans” (Laland, Odling-Smee & Myles, 2010, pg. 137).

For those of you with some sort of investment in human evolution, it’ll be quite clear that gaps between culture and biology are being broached by a variety of researchers. Anthropol........ Read more »

Laland KN, Odling-Smee J, & Myles S. (2010) How culture shaped the human genome: bringing genetics and the human sciences together. Nature reviews. Genetics, 11(2), 137-48. PMID: 20084086  

  • February 21, 2010
  • 06:19 PM
  • 61 views

Cumulative Culture Evolved to Rapidly Coordinate Novel Behaviours

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

In the deliberations over humanity and its perceived uniqueness, a link is frequently made between our ability to support a rich, diverse culture and the origin of complex human behaviour. Yet what is often overlooked in our view of these two, clearly connected phenomena is the thread that weaves them together: the ability to coordinate [...]... Read more »

Chater, N. . (2009) Language Acquisition Meets Language Evolution. Cognitive Science. info:/10.1111/j.1551-6709.2009.01049.x

Laland KN, Odling-Smee J, & Myles S. (2010) How culture shaped the human genome: bringing genetics and the human sciences together. Nature reviews. Genetics, 11(2), 137-48. PMID: 20084086  

Lycett, S., & Norton, C. (2010) A demographic model for Palaeolithic technological evolution: The case of East Asia and the Movius Line. Quaternary International, 211(1-2), 55-65. DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2008.12.001  

  • October 7, 2009
  • 03:58 PM
  • 309 views

What conclusions can we draw from Neanderthal DNA pt.2

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

4. Nuclear DNA: Forays into 3 billion base pairs
4.1 Before Vi-80
The Vindija-80 (Vi-80) specimen is an important find for geneticists: it yielded a minimally contaminated sample and provided those first steps into Neanderthal genomics.
Previously, attempts at retrieving ancient nuclear DNA sequences proved to be a notoriously difficult process, plagued with problems of degradation, contamination and [...]... Read more »

Green, R., Krause, J., Ptak, S., Briggs, A., Ronan, M., Simons, J., Du, L., Egholm, M., Rothberg, J., Paunovic, M.... (2006) Analysis of one million base pairs of Neanderthal DNA. Nature, 444(7117), 330-336. DOI: 10.1038/nature05336  

Briggs AW, Good JM, Green RE, Krause J, Maricic T, Stenzel U, Lalueza-Fox C, Rudan P, Brajkovic D, Kucan Z.... (2009) Targeted retrieval and analysis of five Neandertal mtDNA genomes. Science (New York, N.Y.), 325(5938), 318-21. PMID: 19608918  

Krause J, Lalueza-Fox C, Orlando L, Enard W, Green RE, Burbano HA, Hublin JJ, Hänni C, Fortea J, de la Rasilla M.... (2007) The derived FOXP2 variant of modern humans was shared with Neandertals. Current biology : CB, 17(21), 1908-12. PMID: 17949978  

Lalueza-Fox C, Römpler H, Caramelli D, Stäubert C, Catalano G, Hughes D, Rohland N, Pilli E, Longo L, Condemi S.... (2007) A melanocortin 1 receptor allele suggests varying pigmentation among Neanderthals. Science (New York, N.Y.), 318(5855), 1453-5. PMID: 17962522  

Coop, G., Bullaughey, K., Luca, F., & Przeworski, M. (2008) The Timing of Selection at the Human FOXP2 Gene. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 25(7), 1257-1259. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msn091  

  • October 6, 2009
  • 04:53 PM
  • 289 views

What conclusions can we draw from Neanderthal DNA pt.1

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

In recent times, genetic technology has progressed sufficiently to elucidate upon some of the questions normally preserved for archaeologists. One such question concerns the fate of a group of hominins that roamed Europe and East Asia for at least 250,000 years. During this time, this species adapted and endured some of the harshest environments on [...]... Read more »

Blum MG, & Rosenberg NA. (2007) Estimating the number of ancestral lineages using a maximum-likelihood method based on rejection sampling. Genetics, 176(3), 1741-57. PMID: 17435232  

Green, R., Malaspinas, A., Krause, J., Briggs, A., Johnson, P., Uhler, C., Meyer, M., Good, J., Maricic, T., & Stenzel, U. (2008) A Complete Neandertal Mitochondrial Genome Sequence Determined by High-Throughput Sequencing. Cell, 134(3), 416-426. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2008.06.021  

  • October 5, 2009
  • 08:49 PM
  • 342 views

The arcuate fasciculus within the dual stream model pt.2

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

3.1 What is the dual stream model?
Given these separate anatomical accounts, attributing a function(s) to the arcuate is not clear cut, and any current account is far from the authoritative statement on the matter. Nonetheless, a vast majority of literature does place the arcuate as part of the dual stream model[1] of speech processing, although [...]... Read more »

Hickok, G. (2004) Dorsal and ventral streams: a framework for understanding aspects of the functional anatomy of language. Cognition, 92(1-2), 67-99. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2003.10.011  

Glasser, M., & Rilling, J. (2008) DTI Tractography of the Human Brain's Language Pathways. Cerebral Cortex, 18(11), 2471-2482. DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhn011  

Schmahmann, J., Pandya, D., Wang, R., Dai, G., D'Arceuil, H., de Crespigny, A., & Wedeen, V. (2007) Association fibre pathways of the brain: parallel observations from diffusion spectrum imaging and autoradiography. Brain, 130(3), 630-653. DOI: 10.1093/brain/awl359  

  • October 2, 2009
  • 03:40 PM
  • 352 views

Discerning the role of the arcuate fasciculus in speech processing pt.1

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

Originally identified by Reil (1809) and subsequently named by Burdach (1819), the arcuate fasciculus is a white-matter, neural pathway that intersects with both the lateral temporal cortex and frontal cortex via a “dorsal projection that arches around the Sylvain fissure.” (Rilling et al., 2008, pg. 426). Classical hypotheses saw this pathway as a critical component [...]... Read more »

CATANI, M., & MESULAM, M. (2008) The arcuate fasciculus and the disconnection theme in language and aphasia: History and current state. Cortex, 44(8), 953-961. DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2008.04.002  

Glasser, M., & Rilling, J. (2008) DTI Tractography of the Human Brain's Language Pathways. Cerebral Cortex, 18(11), 2471-2482. DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhn011  

  • September 28, 2009
  • 03:53 PM
  • 341 views

Broca’s area and the processing of hierarchically organised sequences pt.2

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

3. Neurological processing of hierarchically organised sequences in non-linguistic domains
A broader perspective sees grammar as just one of many hierarchically organised behaviours being processed in similar, prefrontal neurological regions (Greenfield, 1991; Givon, 1998). As Broca’s area is found to be functionally salient in grammatical processing, it is logical to assume that this is place to [...]... Read more »

Maess B, Koelsch S, Gunter TC, & Friederici AD. (2001) Musical syntax is processed in Broca's area: an MEG study. Nature neuroscience, 4(5), 540-5. PMID: 11319564  

Koechlin E, & Jubault T. (2006) Broca's area and the hierarchical organization of human behavior. Neuron, 50(6), 963-74. PMID: 16772176  

Stout D, Toth N, Schick K, & Chaminade T. (2008) Neural correlates of Early Stone Age toolmaking: technology, language and cognition in human evolution. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 363(1499), 1939-49. PMID: 18292067  

  • September 27, 2009
  • 07:17 AM
  • 323 views

Broca’s area and the processing of hierarchically organised sequences pt.1

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

Ever since its discovery in 1861, Broca’s area (named after its discoverer, Paul Broca) has been inextricably linked with language (Grodzinsky and Santi, 2008). Found in the left hemisphere of the Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC), Broca’s region traditionally[1] comprises of Broadmann’s areas (BA) 44 and 45 (Hagoort, 2005). Despite being relegated in its status as the [...]... Read more »

Bahlmann J, Schubotz RI, & Friederici AD. (2008) Hierarchical artificial grammar processing engages Broca's area. NeuroImage, 42(2), 525-34. PMID: 18554927  

Musso M, Moro A, Glauche V, Rijntjes M, Reichenbach J, Büchel C, & Weiller C. (2003) Broca's area and the language instinct. Nature neuroscience, 6(7), 774-81. PMID: 12819784  

Hagoort, P. (2005) On Broca, brain, and binding: a new framework. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9(9), 416-423. DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2005.07.004  

  • September 1, 2009
  • 10:58 AM
  • 380 views

Olfactory communication and mate choice

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

From the regulation and reproduction in bacteria colonies (Bassler, 2002) to complex smell and taste systems of humans (Van Toller & Dodd, 1988), the ability of sensing chemical stimuli, known as chemosensation, is believed to be the most basic and ubiquitous of senses (Bhutta, 2007). One strain of thought places chemosensation as merely an evolved [...]... Read more »

Bhutta, M. (2007) Sex and the nose: human pheromonal responses. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 100(6), 268-274. DOI: 10.1258/jrsm.100.6.268  

Havlicek, J., & Roberts, S. (2009) MHC-correlated mate choice in humans: A review. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 34(4), 497-512. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.10.007  

  • August 31, 2009
  • 03:17 PM
  • 352 views

Iterated Learning and Language Evolution

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

If we accept that language is not only a conveyer of cultural information, but it is itself a socially learned and culturally transmitted system, then an individual’s linguistic knowledge is the result of observing the linguistic behaviour of others. This well attested process of language acquisition is often termed Iterated Learning, and it opens up [...]... Read more »

Swarup, S., & Gasser, L. (2009) The Iterated Classification Game: A New Model of the Cultural Transmission of Language. Adaptive Behavior, 17(3), 213-235. DOI: 10.1177/1059712309105818  

Dediu, D. (2009) Genetic biasing through cultural transmission: Do simple Bayesian models of language evolution generalise?. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 259(3), 552-561. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2009.04.004  

Kirby S, Dowman M, & Griffiths TL. (2007) Innateness and culture in the evolution of language. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104(12), 5241-5. PMID: 17360393  

Reali F, & Griffiths TL. (2009) The evolution of frequency distributions: relating regularization to inductive biases through iterated learning. Cognition, 111(3), 317-28. PMID: 19327759  

  • August 29, 2009
  • 06:45 PM
  • 319 views

Language as a complex adaptive system

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

A prominent idea in linguistics is that humans have an array of specialised organs geared towards the production, reception and comprehension of language. For some features, particularly the physical capacity to produce and receive multiple vocalizations, there is ample evidence for specialisation: a descended larynx (Lieberman, 2003), thoracic breathing (MacLarnon & Hewitt, 1999), and several [...]... Read more »

Beckner, C; Blythe, R; Bybee, J; Christiansen, M.H.; Croft, W; Ellis, N.C.; Holland, J; Jinyun Ke; Larsen-Freeman, D; Schoenemann, T. (2009) Language is a complex adaptive system. Language Learning. info:/

WRAY, A., & GRACE, G. (2007) The consequences of talking to strangers: Evolutionary corollaries of socio-cultural influences on linguistic form. Lingua, 117(3), 543-578. DOI: 10.1016/j.lingua.2005.05.005  

  • August 27, 2009
  • 02:30 PM
  • 383 views

Continuity or Discontinuity: are our minds purely shaped by natural selection?

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

The debate concerning the origin of our minds stems back to the diverging opinions of Darwin (1871) and Wallace (1870). When Charles Darwin first discussed the evolution of our seemingly unique cognitive faculties, he proposed that there is “no fundamental difference between man and the higher mammals in their mental faculties.” (Darwin, 1871, pg. 66). [...]... Read more »

Robinson, G., Fernald, R., & Clayton, D. (2008) Genes and Social Behavior. Science, 322(5903), 896-900. DOI: 10.1126/science.1159277  

Hawks, J., Wang, E., Cochran, G., Harpending, H., & Moyzis, R. (2007) Recent acceleration of human adaptive evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(52), 20753-20758. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0707650104  

Bolhuis, J., & Wynne, C. (2009) Can evolution explain how minds work?. Nature, 458(7240), 832-833. DOI: 10.1038/458832a  

John Skoyles. (2009) The paleoanthropological implications of neural plasticity. CogPrints. info:/

  • January 24, 2009
  • 02:21 PM
  • 769 views

ASPM, Microcephalin and Tone

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

Disclaimer: I know this post is on a paper released over a year ago; however, I’m still going to write about it for three reasons: 1) I did a presentation about it earlier this week (20/01/08); 2) I think it relates to a recent buzz around gene-culture co-evolution; and, 3) It’s a bloody awesome [...]... Read more »

D. Dediu, & D. R. Ladd. (2007) From the Cover: Linguistic tone is related to the population frequency of the adaptive haplogroups of two brain size genes, ASPM and Microcephalin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(26), 10944-10949. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0610848104  

  • January 7, 2009
  • 07:00 AM
  • 772 views

Orangutans - probably more interesting than you

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

In the past few years there has been a recent spate of articles concerning orangutan intelligence. So, as I’m fairly bored, and in need of a break from university work, I’ve decided to write a bit of an essay on some of these finds.

Orangutans… They’re orange, right?

Correct; but Pongo pygmaeus abelii are so much more [...]... Read more »

M Nakamichi. (2004) Tool-use and tool-making by captive, group-living orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus abelii) at an artificial termite mound. Behavioural Processes, 65(1), 87-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2003.07.002  

V. Dufour, M. Pelé, M. Neumann, B. Thierry, & J. Call. (2009) Calculated reciprocity after all: computation behind token transfers in orang-utans. Biology Letters, -1(-1), -1--1. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0644  

Serge A. Wich, Karyl B. Swartz, Madeleine E. Hardus, Adriano R. Lameira, Erin Stromberg, & Robert W. Shumaker. (2008) A case of spontaneous acquisition of a human sound by an orangutan. Primates. DOI: 10.1007/s10329-008-0117-y  

  • January 7, 2009
  • 12:00 AM
  • 850 views

Schizophrenia and brain evolution (plus bold adjectives)

by Wintz in A Replicated Typo

When exploring the etiology of schizophrenia, a feat that has mostly eluded understanding for over 100 years, a common denominator emerges in that associated deficiencies are rooted in cognitively demanding tasks. One suggestion is that, where schizophrenic individuals are involved, disorganised thoughts, abnormal speech, auditory hallucinations and paranoid delusions are symptomatic consequences of [...]... Read more »

Philipp Khaitovich, Helen E Lockstone, Matthew T Wayland, Tsz M Tsang, Samantha D Jayatilaka, Arfu J Guo, Jie Zhou, Mehmet Somel, Laura W Harris, Elaine Holmes.... (2008) Metabolic changes in schizophrenia and human brain evolution. Genome Biology, 9(8). DOI: 10.1186/gb-2008-9-8-r124  

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