Color is funny. Anthropologists have long known that different cultures have different relationships, linguistically and in day to day practice, to the color spectrum. For example, the Efe Pygmy Hunter-Gatherers of the Ituri Forest describe things as white, black, or red, and that’s it. They live in a world of green. […]

… or more specifically, a Pathophysiology. It isn’t natural or healthy.
Or so says Bush’s current nominee for Surgeon General. Nice one, George.
Actually, this is a very interesting case, because the problem surrounds the production of a talk/paper by the nominee, James Holsinger, back in 1991 in conjunction with a Methodist Church […]

Why does a soldier throw himself on a hand grenade to save the lives of a half-dozen unrelated fellow soldiers? Why does someone run into a burning building they happen to be passing to save a child they don’t know? From a Darwinian perspective these seem to be enigmatic behaviors that would “select […]

The male and female human brains are different. Some of the better documented differences are similar to differences seen in other mammals. They are hard to find, very small, and may or may not be of great significance. Obviously, some are very important because they probably relate to such things as the […]

Have you seen Brokeback Mountain? I have not seen the film. I think I’ve seen more parodies on this film than on any other film that has ever been produced, but I’ve never seen the film itself.
A film about cowboys that are gay might cause a lot of young American boys […]

Well, maybe Evolution is not losing ground, but considering that indicators show that science literacy is generally improving (a little) but Evolution “acceptance” is not indicates a mixed message.
The news on how well Americans understand science is indeed very mixed, according to research reported at the annual meetings of the American Association for the […]

When a student comes into my office for a chat, and we have been there a while, I can look at my watch (if I’m wearing it) or a clock on the wall with the absolute maximal subtlety, and the student will still pick up the cue that I am checking the time.
When […]

Here are the words that make me cringe:
Romance, Schmomance: Natural Selection Continues Even After Sex
Science Daily — Some breaking news, just in time for Valentine’s Day: Researchers have identified something called “sperm competition” that they think has evolved to ensure a genetic future. In sexual reproduction, natural selection is generally thought of as something that […]

Darwin was puzzled by exaggerated traits. (Aren’t we all, really?) For example, why would a widow bird male have a tail so long that he could scarcely fly away from predators? Indeed, speaking of birds:
What a contrast is presented between the sexes by the polygamous peacock or pheasant, and the monogamous guinea-fowl […]

Professor Desmond Clark, the consummate British gentleman and Africanist archaeologist, was fond of telling his intro class “if we were chimpanzees instead of humans this class would be severely interrupted owing to the presence of at least one or two ovulating females in the room at this moment.” I never took a class from […]

According to a story in the last issue of Psychological Science:
… for most women, high sex drive is associated with increased sexual attraction to both men and women. For men, however, high sex drive is associated with increased sexual attraction to only one sex or the other, depending on the individual’s sexual orientation. These results […]

This is the first of a series of posts on the biology of gender. This is a research interest of mine, and generally has a big part in my teaching as well.
Behavioral biology seeks to understand behavior in an evolutionary framework. The widely held central dogma of evolutionary biology is that selection works […]