Anthropology

Play That Funky Music- And Humans Will Dance

Rhythmic drum patterns with a balance of rhythmic predictability and complexity may influence our desire to dance and enjoy the music, according to a new paper by music scholar Maria Witek from the University of Oxford and colleagues.  ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 16 2014 - 7:55pm

The Mystery Of Ancient Animal Domestication- Why Not Zebras?

We know that around 12,000 years ago, a fundamental thing began to happen all around the world- plants were cultivated and animals were domesticated for transport, food and fiber.  ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 21 2014 - 9:45am

Compassionate Behavior Towards Dying Mate Observed In Monkey

Dr. Bruna Bezerra from the University of Bristol and colleagues have captured video of a wild male marmoset embracing and caring for his dying partner after she accidentally fell from a tree in the Atlantic Forest in the Northeast of Brazil, the first time ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 22 2014 - 12:35am

Genomic Diversity And Admixture Differs For Stone-Age Scandinavian Foragers And Farmers

Scholars say they have created a breakthrough on understanding the demographic history of Stone-Age humans. A genomic analysis of eleven Stone-Age human remains from Scandinavia revealed that expanding Stone-age farmers assimilated local hunter-gatherers ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 27 2014 - 5:30am

Using A Foreign Language Changes Moral Decisions

Would you sacrifice one person to save five? Psychologists say those moral choices could depend on whether you are using a foreign language or your native tongue. The new paper from the University of Chicago and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona finds ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 28 2014 - 5:32pm

Predictor Of Extra-Marital Affairs Among Women Married To Fishermen- Penis Size

The Deadliest Catch details the work travails of Bering Sea crab fishermen, but African wives of fishermen may be having adventures of their own. The authors of a recent paper estimated that up to 60% of men and 50% of women report extra-marital partnershi ...

Article - Hank Campbell - May 22 2014 - 5:00am

Different, Not Inferior: Neanderthals Versus Modern Humans

It's common to perceive Neanderthals as more big-headed primitives and Cro-Magnon as more like us, but we were all primitive cavemen. It takes a biologist to really know the difference. So if you think Neanderthals were stupid and primitive, it' ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 30 2014 - 1:52pm

Rice Versus Wheat- Psychologists Say That Explains Why Communism Is Popular In China

The anti-wheat movement is a popular health fad in America and critics of that staple now have a new weapon in their culture war- ditching it makes people more cooperative. And they explain Genghis Khan and Mao. Defenders of wheat have their own ammunitio ...

Article - News Staff - May 12 2014 - 7:18pm

Understanding The 1918 Flu Pandemic- A Systemic Approach

The 1918 Flu Pandemic infected over 500 million people and killed up to 50 million.  Scholars have analyzed the pandemic in two remote regions of North America, finding that despite their geographical divide, both regions had environmental, nutritional an ...

Article - News Staff - May 14 2014 - 11:29am

In The Developing World, Domestic Violence Falls When Women Own Land

An article in the feminist, scientific, peer-reviewed journal Psychology of Women Quarterly says that when women in developing countries own land, they are less likely to experience violence. Psychologists Shelly Grabe, Rose Grace Grose and Anjali Dutt an ...

Article - News Staff - May 15 2014 - 8:39pm