Anthropology posts
- January 9, 2016
- 02:36 PM
- 688 views
Feeling sick? It’s evolution’s way of telling you to stay home
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
When you have a fever, your nose is stuffed and your headache is spreading to your toes, your body is telling you to stay home in bed. Feeling sick is an evolutionary adaptation according to a hypothesis put forward by Prof. Guy Shakhar of the Weizmann Institute’s Immunology Department and Dr. Keren Shakhar of the Psychology Department of the College of Management Academic Studies.... Read more »
Shakhar, K., & Shakhar, G. (2015) Why Do We Feel Sick When Infected—Can Altruism Play a Role?. PLOS Biology, 13(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002276
- January 7, 2016
- 01:45 PM
- 738 views
Are you multicellular? Thank a random mutation that created a new protein
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
All it took was one mutation more than 600 million years ago. With that random act, a new protein function was born that helped our single-celled ancestor transition into an organized multicellular organism. That’s the scenario — done with some molecular time travel — that emerged from basic research in the lab of University of Oregon biochemist Ken Prehoda.... Read more »
Anderson, D., Whitney, D., Hanson-Smith, V., Woznica, A., Campodonico-Burnett, W., Volkman, B., King, N., Prehoda, K., & Thornton, J. (2016) Evolution of an ancient protein function involved in organized multicellularity in animals. eLife. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.10147
- January 6, 2016
- 03:49 PM
- 674 views
Schizophrenia linked to loss of cells in the brain’s memory center
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Scientists at Columbia University’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), and the Université Paris Descartes have found that deficits in social memory–a crucial yet poorly understood feature of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia–may be due to a decrease in the number of a particular class of brain cells, called inhibitory neurons, in a little-explored region within the brain’s memory center.... Read more »
Piskorowski, R., Nasrallah, K., Diamantopoulou, A., Mukai, J., Hassan, S., Siegelbaum, S., Gogos, J., & Chevaleyre, V. (2016) Age-Dependent Specific Changes in Area CA2 of the Hippocampus and Social Memory Deficit in a Mouse Model of the 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Neuron, 89(1), 163-176. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.11.036
- January 5, 2016
- 09:16 AM
- 1,400 views
We Have Become Exhausted Slaves in a Culture of Positivity
by Jalees Rehman in The Next Regeneration
We live in an era of exhaustion and fatigue, caused by an incessant compulsion to perform. This is one of the central tenets of the book "Müdigkeitsgesellschaft" (translatable as "The Fatigue Society" or "The Tiredness Society") by the German philosopher Byung-Chul Han. Han is a professor at the Berlin Universität der Künste (University of the Arts) and one of the most widely read contemporary philosophers in Germany. He was born in Seoul where he stu........ Read more »
Byung-Chul Han. (2015) The Burnout Society. Stanford University Press. info:/
- January 4, 2016
- 01:36 PM
- 807 views
If our brain is a computer, do we really have free will?
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
The background to this new set of experiments lies in the debate regarding conscious will and determinism in human decision-making, which has attracted researchers, psychologists, philosophers and the general public, and which has been ongoing since at least the 1980s. Back then, the American researcher Benjamin Libet studied the nature of cerebral processes of study participants during conscious decision-making.... Read more »
Schultze-Kraft, M., Birman, D., Rusconi, M., Allefeld, C., Görgen, K., Dähne, S., Blankertz, B., & Haynes, J. (2015) The point of no return in vetoing self-initiated movements. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201513569. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1513569112
- January 2, 2016
- 02:47 PM
- 563 views
Gene-editing technique stops progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Using a new gene-editing technique, a team of scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center stopped progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in young mice. If efficiently and safely scaled up in DMD patients, this technique could lead to one of the first successful genome editing-based treatments for this fatal disease, researchers said.... Read more »
Long, C., Amoasii, L., Mireault, A., McAnally, J., Li, H., Sanchez-Ortiz, E., Bhattacharyya, S., Shelton, J., Bassel-Duby, R., & Olson, E. (2015) Postnatal genome editing partially restores dystrophin expression in a mouse model of muscular dystrophy. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aad5725
- January 1, 2016
- 10:11 AM
- 584 views
#FossilFriday: 2015 Retrospecticus
by zacharoo in Lawn Chair Anthropology
Holy crap 2015 was a big year for fossils. And how fortuitous that 2016 begins on a Fossil Friday – let’s recap some of last year’s major discoveries. Homo naledi The Homo naledi sample is a paleoanthropologist’s dream - a new member of the genus Homo with a unique combination of traits, countless remains belonging to at least a dozen individuals from infant […]... Read more »
Haile-Selassie, Y., Gibert, L., Melillo, S., Ryan, T., Alene, M., Deino, A., Levin, N., Scott, G., & Saylor, B. (2015) New species from Ethiopia further expands Middle Pliocene hominin diversity. Nature, 521(7553), 483-488. DOI: 10.1038/nature14448
Harmand, S., Lewis, J., Feibel, C., Lepre, C., Prat, S., Lenoble, A., Boës, X., Quinn, R., Brenet, M., Arroyo, A.... (2015) 3.3-million-year-old stone tools from Lomekwi 3, West Turkana, Kenya. Nature, 521(7552), 310-315. DOI: 10.1038/nature14464
McPherron, S., Alemseged, Z., Marean, C., Wynn, J., Reed, D., Geraads, D., Bobe, R., & Béarat, H. (2010) Evidence for stone-tool-assisted consumption of animal tissues before 3.39 million years ago at Dikika, Ethiopia. Nature, 466(7308), 857-860. DOI: 10.1038/nature09248
Thompson, J., McPherron, S., Bobe, R., Reed, D., Barr, W., Wynn, J., Marean, C., Geraads, D., & Alemseged, Z. (2015) Taphonomy of fossils from the hominin-bearing deposits at Dikika, Ethiopia. Journal of Human Evolution, 112-135. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.06.013
Villmoare, B., Kimbel, W., Seyoum, C., Campisano, C., DiMaggio, E., Rowan, J., Braun, D., Arrowsmith, J., & Reed, K. (2015) Early Homo at 2.8 Ma from Ledi-Geraru, Afar, Ethiopia. Science, 347(6228), 1352-1355. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa1343
Maddux, S., Ward, C., Brown, F., Plavcan, J., & Manthi, F. (2015) A 750,000 year old hominin molar from the site of Nadung'a, West Turkana, Kenya. Journal of Human Evolution, 179-183. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.11.004
Ward, C., Feibel, C., Hammond, A., Leakey, L., Moffett, E., Plavcan, J., Skinner, M., Spoor, F., & Leakey, M. (2015) Associated ilium and femur from Koobi Fora, Kenya, and postcranial diversity in early Homo. Journal of Human Evolution, 48-67. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.01.005
Chang, C., Kaifu, Y., Takai, M., Kono, R., Grün, R., Matsu’ura, S., Kinsley, L., & Lin, L. (2015) The first archaic Homo from Taiwan. Nature Communications, 6037. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7037
Hershkovitz, I., Marder, O., Ayalon, A., Bar-Matthews, M., Yasur, G., Boaretto, E., Caracuta, V., Alex, B., Frumkin, A., Goder-Goldberger, M.... (2015) Levantine cranium from Manot Cave (Israel) foreshadows the first European modern humans. Nature, 520(7546), 216-219. DOI: 10.1038/nature14134
- December 29, 2015
- 02:46 PM
- 793 views
Being anxious could be good for you! If you’re in a crisis…
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
New findings by French researchers show that the brain devotes more processing resources to social situations that signal threat than those that are benign. The results may help explain the apparent “sixth sense” we have for danger. This is the first time that specific regions of the brain have been identified to be involved in the phenomenon. The human brain is able to detect social threats in these regions in a fast, automatic fashion, within just 200 milliseconds.... Read more »
El Zein, M., Wyart, V., & Grèzes, J. (2015) Anxiety dissociates the adaptive functions of sensory and motor response enhancements to social threats. eLife. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.10274
- December 28, 2015
- 02:48 PM
- 627 views
Want to keep your new year’s resolution? Ask, don’t tell.
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
“Will you exercise this year?” That simple question can be a game-changing technique for people who want to influence their own or others’ behavior, according to a recent study spanning 40 years of research. The research is the first comprehensive look at more than 100 studies examining the ‘question-behavior effect,’ a phenomenon in which asking people about performing a certain behavior influences whether they do it in the future. The effect has been shown to last more than six month........ Read more »
Spangenberg, E., Kareklas, I., Devezer, B., & Sprott, D. (2015) A meta-analytic synthesis of the question-behavior effect. Journal of Consumer Psychology. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcps.2015.12.004
- December 27, 2015
- 02:17 PM
- 660 views
The development of the cerebellar circuitry is driven by epigenetic “music”
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
From before birth through childhood, connections form between neurons in the brain, ultimately making us who we are. So far, scientists have gained a relatively good understanding of how neural circuits become established, but they know less about the genetic control at play during this crucial developmental process. Now, a team of researchers has described for the first time the so-called epigenetic mechanisms underlying the development of the cerebellum, the portion of the brain that allows us........ Read more »
Zhu, X., Girardo, D., Govek, E., John, K., Mellén, M., Tamayo, P., Mesirov, J., & Hatten, M. (2015) Role of Tet1/3 Genes and Chromatin Remodeling Genes in Cerebellar Circuit Formation. Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.11.030
- December 23, 2015
- 12:00 PM
- 364 views
Fragmentary fossils help reveal Neandertal skull growth
by zacharoo in Lawn Chair Anthropology
Frank Williams and I have a paper coming out shortly, comparing skull growth in Neandertals and humans. We use the resampling-based “grdif” method (see here) to compare an ontogenetic series of 20 non-adult and 20 adult Neandertals with a giant ontogenetic sample of humans. While Neandertal skull growth has been looked at before, the fragmentary […]... Read more »
Cofran Z. (2014) Mandibular development in Australopithecus robustus. American journal of physical anthropology, 154(3), 436-46. PMID: 24820665
- December 22, 2015
- 02:06 AM
- 837 views
Watching the Sun
by teofilo in Gambler's House
Today is the winter solstice, and the seventh anniversary of this blog. I’ve traditionally posted about archaeoastronomy on these anniversaries, so I’m going to briefly interrupt my series on Crucible of Pueblos to discuss an interesting article on the evidence for astronomical observations at Chaco Canyon. There turns out to be some overlap, actually, which […]... Read more »
Munro AM, & Malville JM. (2010) Calendrical Stations in Chaco Canyon. Archaeoastronomy, 91-106. info:/
- December 20, 2015
- 02:35 PM
- 659 views
Women, do you want to be a leader at a teaching hospital? Grow a mustache!
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Thirteen percent of department leader positions at top academic medical institutions in the United States are held by women, while nearly 20 percent are held by men with mustaches. The findings of the tongue-in-cheek study, an analysis of more than 1,000 headshots of department leaders at top National Institutes of Health-funded academic medical institutions, provide a new context for examining gender disparities in the field.... Read more »
Wehner, M., Nead, K., Linos, K., & Linos, E. (2015) Plenty of moustaches but not enough women: cross sectional study of medical leaders. BMJ. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.h6311
- December 20, 2015
- 07:26 AM
- 746 views
Only 2% of People Will Return A Christmas Card From A Stranger
by Neuroskeptic in Neuroskeptic_Discover
If you got a Christmas card in the mail from a complete stranger, would you send them one back?
Surprisingly, this isn't a purely hypothetical question. Social psychologists have used Christmas cards from a stranger as a model to research the 'reciprocity norm' - the expectation that you should return a favor, and help someone who helps you.
In 1976, researchers Phillip Kunz and Michael Woolcott sent cards to a random sample of 578 Americans. Overall, they found that 20% of the recipients ... Read more »
Meier BP. (2015) Bah Humbug: Unexpected Christmas Cards and the Reciprocity Norm. The Journal of social psychology. PMID: 26666577
- December 18, 2015
- 03:39 PM
- 744 views
Depression is more than a “mental health” problem and we can now measure its risk
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A network of interacting brain regions known as the default mode network (DMN) was found to have stronger connections in adults and children with a high risk of depression compared to those with a low risk. These findings suggest that increased DMN connectivity is a potential precursor, or biomarker, indicating a risk of developing major depressive disorder (MDD).... Read more »
Posner, J., Cha, J., Wang, Z., Talati, A., Warner, V., Gerber, A., Peterson, B., & Weissman, M. (2015) Increased Default Mode Network Connectivity in Individuals at High Familial Risk for Depression. Neuropsychopharmacology. DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.342
- December 16, 2015
- 08:46 AM
- 810 views
Buried with a Sickle: Death’s Scythe or Anti-Demon Protection?
by Katy Meyers Emery in Bones Don't Lie
Scythes and sickles have a very clear symbolic association for modern populations. The personification of death is traditionally pictured with a scythe (full size version pictured to the right) or sickle […]... Read more »
Polcyn, M., & Gajda, E. (2015) Buried with sickles: early modern interments from Drawsko, Poland. Antiquity, 89(348), 1373-1387. DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2015.129
- December 14, 2015
- 04:40 PM
- 606 views
Emotion processing in the brain changes with tinnitus severity
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Tinnitus, otherwise known as ringing in the ears, affects nearly one-third of adults over age 65. The condition can develop as part of age-related hearing loss or from a traumatic injury. In either case, the resulting persistent noise causes varying amounts of disruption to everyday life. While some tinnitus patients adapt to the condition, many others are forced to limit daily activities as a direct result of their symptoms. A new study reveals that people who are less bothered by their tinnitu........ Read more »
Fatima T. Husain et al. (2015) Increased frontal response may underlie decreased tinnitus severity. PLOS ONE. info:/10.1371/journal.pone.0144419
- December 8, 2015
- 04:43 PM
- 1,127 views
Discrimination by any other name: Language tests and racist migration policy in Australia
by Laura Smith-Khan in Language on the Move
Australia has a proud national narrative of migration and multiculturalism. It also has an equally prevalent history of exclusionary and discriminatory migration policy. Perhaps the most famous is its “White Australia Policy”, which sought to restrict the migration of “non-European” … Continue reading →... Read more »
McNamara, T. (2012) Language Assessments as Shibboleths: A Poststructuralist Perspective. Applied Linguistics, 33(5), 564-581. DOI: 10.1093/applin/ams052
- December 8, 2015
- 03:28 PM
- 694 views
Self-consciousness: Beyond the looking-glass and what dogs found there
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
That man’s best friend has a conscience is what every owner would be willing to bet, without even thinking about it for a moment. This means that dogs have self-consciousness. But the problem in science is that ideas and assumptions must be demonstrated. It is not enough for someone to have an inkling of something for it to be considered a scientific fact. Self-awareness, or self-consciousness, has been studied mainly by examining the responses of animals and children to their reflection in th........ Read more »
Cazzolla Gatti, R. (2015) Self-consciousness: beyond the looking-glass and what dogs found there. Ethology Ecology , 1-9. DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2015.1102777
- December 8, 2015
- 12:46 PM
- 1,233 views
The Dire State of Science in the Muslim World
by Jalees Rehman in The Next Regeneration
Universities and the scientific infrastructures in Muslim-majority countries need to undergo radical reforms if they want to avoid falling by the wayside in a world characterized by major scientific and technological innovations. This is the conclusion reached by Nidhal Guessoum and Athar Osama in their recent commentary "Institutions: Revive universities of the Muslim world", published in the scientific journal Nature. The physics and astronomy professor Guessoum (American University ........ Read more »
Guessoum N, & Osama A. (2015) Institutions: Revive universities of the Muslim world. Nature, 526(7575), 634-6. PMID: 26511563
Romanowski, M., & Nasser, R. (2010) Faculty perceptions of academic freedom at a GCC university. PROSPECTS, 40(4), 481-497. DOI: 10.1007/s11125-010-9166-2
- Anthropology
- Psychology
- Social Science
- Research / Scholarship
- Health
- Educational Psychology
- Science Communication
- Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- Policy
- Career
- Geography
- Political Science
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Sociocultural Anthropology
- Funding
- Behavioral Economics
- Ethics
- Decision-Making
- Education
topics
join us!
Do you write about peer-reviewed research in your blog? Use ResearchBlogging.org to make it easy for your readers — and others from around the world — to find your serious posts about academic research.
If you don't have a blog, you can still use our site to learn about fascinating developments in cutting-edge research from around the world.
Research Blogging is powered by SMG Technology.
To learn more, visit seedmediagroup.com.