Did humans wipe out the Pleistocene megafauna? This is a question that can be asked separately for each area of the world colonized by Homo sapiens. It is also a question that engenders sometimes heated debate. A new paper coming out in the Journal of Human Evolution concludes that many Pleistocene megafauna managed to go extinct by themselves, but that humans were not entirely uninvolved.
Tag Archives: Evolution
Chimpanzee Food Sharing: Sharing Ideas
New Hominid Skull in China
So far no reliable reports seem to be available of a new and potentially interesting, but not necessarily earth-shattering, find in China. Continue reading New Hominid Skull in China
After the End Permian Mass Extinction
The end-Permian mass extinction event was the big daddy of all the known mass extinction events. Life on the planet Earth was almost entirely wiped out. A new paper explores the post-extinction recovery of ecological systems. Continue reading After the End Permian Mass Extinction
New (Old) Science Book: The Bible
The Beagle Project: Endorsed by a pantheon of Science Bloggers…
You are going to be hearing a lot more about Darwin in the month of February, which is Darwin Month here on The Internet. (It is also Creationist Home Schooling Science Fair month, so hang on to your mice and keyboards!!!!) I have a Darwin plan of my own that you will be learning of soon enough.
In the mean time, I wanted to remind you of the Beagle Project:
We aim to celebrate Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday by building a sailing replica of HMS Beagle and recreating the Voyage of the Beagle with an international crew of researchers, aspiring scientists and science communicators. The voyage will apply the techniques of 21st century science to Darwin’s journey, inspiring a new generation of scientists and promoting the public understanding of evolution and wider science.
Please go visit their site, help them out!
Especially, have a look at this post latest item indicating top referral sources to the Beagle Project site.
Chimpanzee Food Sharing
Is chimpanzee food sharing an example of food for sex?
One of the most important transitions in human evolution may have been the incorporation of regular food sharing into the day to day ecology of our species or our ancestors. Although this has been recognized as potentially significant for some time, it was probably the Africanist archaeologist Glynn Isaac who impressed on the academic community the importance of the origins of food sharing as a key evolutionary moment. At that time, food sharing among apes was thought to be very rare, outside of mother-infant dyads. Further research has shown that it is in fact rare … the vast majority of calories consumed by human foragers in certain societies and at certain times of the year comes from a sharing system, while the fast majority of calories consumed by chimpanzees is hand to mouth without sharing.
Evolution, Cuisine and Romance
The Bell Museum, in Minneapolis, will sponsor a Valentine’s Day Cafe Scientifique that will be especially close to my heart … Continue reading Evolution, Cuisine and Romance
Naturally Occurring Peptide Inhibits Common Viral Infection
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that a naturally occurring peptide known for its antibacterial action can also inhibit viral infection. Continue reading Naturally Occurring Peptide Inhibits Common Viral Infection
Creator gene for cerebral cortex
Discovery of ‘creator’ gene for cerebral cortex points to potential stem cell treatments Continue reading Creator gene for cerebral cortex
Texas Will Review Science Standards
Education committees are beginning to review the science standards for Texas Schools this month. There are indications that efforts will be made to weaken the standing of evolution, or insinuate creationism, creation science, or intelligent design into the standards.
Continue reading Texas Will Review Science Standards
Institute for Creation Research: a New Argument Supporting Texas Certification for Masters in Science Education
From the Texas Citizens for Science:
In an email message to its friends, the Institute for Creation Research proposes The Disjunctive Duality of Science Distinction, a new argument to support its effort to obtain Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approval for its masters degree program in science education. The argument is actually an old one. It posits that two types of science exist, “experimental” science and “forensic, historical, or orgins” science. Only the first is real science, while the second–which, needless to say, includes evolutionary biology–is not a reliable science. Texas Citizens for Science posts the ICR message and provides a brief refutation of the argument.
Genome Size, Adaptations, Constraints, Exaptations, Aptations, and so on…
There is a discussion on the internet about Junk DNA, that includes a discussion at Sandwalk (Larry Moran’s blog) … I made a comment there about genome size that was responded to by T.R. Gregory. I started to write my response in Larry’s Little Box, but realized that it would not fit. So it is here: Continue reading Genome Size, Adaptations, Constraints, Exaptations, Aptations, and so on…
The Evolution of the Modern Climate: New Evidence from Plant Remains
Things are just not like what they used to be. You know this. You know that the Age of Dinosaurs, for instance, was full of dinosaurs and stuff, and before transitional fossil forms crawled out of the sea to colonize the land, all animals were aquatic, etc. But did you know that from a purely modern perspective, the Miocene was the most important geological period? Continue reading The Evolution of the Modern Climate: New Evidence from Plant Remains
Jane Goodall: What separates us from the apes?
Traveling from Ecuador to Africa, Jane Goodall takes the audience on an ecological journey, discussing highlights and low points of her experiences in the jungle. She shows how progress is helping research (DNA analysis) and hurting the environment (clear-cutting). And she draws a dozen parallels between primate and human behavior, making the point that we really aren’t all that different. Our big advantage, she says, is the ability to communicate with sophisticated spoken language — yet, sadly, we are abusing this power and destroying the planet. She urges the TED audience to behave differently, and use their higher powers to correct the planet’s course.
Continue reading Jane Goodall: What separates us from the apes?