Editor’s Selections: Public Restrooms, Black Death, Social Cooperation, and Resilient Ecosystems
December 1st, 2011 Editor's Selections No Comments
Krystal D’Costa selects interesting and notable ResearchBlogging.org posts in the social sciences, including anthropology, research, and philosophy. She blogs about anthropology, technology, and urban life at Anthropology in Practice.
The range for selections for this week were extended to include a few notable items from Thanksgiving Break:
- At Inkfish, Elizabeth Preston urges us not to urinate on the seat in public restrooms with a review of the bacteria researchers have found in this particular environment. It’s an interesting read in terms of the overlap of ecosystems.
- At Contagions, Michelle Ziegler explains why India and China may have narrowly avoided devastation from the Black Death and highlights the relationships between networks, space, and ways of knowing.
- At The Primate Diaries, Eric Michael Johnson asks traces changes in the brain structure of social networkers to determine if the number of Facebook friends you have can make you smarter. Our inclination for social cooperation may prime some individuals to thrive in these socially-oriented environments.
- And finally, at Per Square Mile, Tim DeChant explores how ecosystems can adapt when faced with human activity. It is a hopeful discussion that focuses on the positives of change.
I’ll be back next week with more from anthropology, philosophy, and research.
