Author Archives: Christopher Lynn

About Christopher Lynn

Christopher Dana Lynn is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Alabama, where he founded the Evolutionary Studies program. Chris teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in biological anthropology, human sexuality, evolution, biocultural medical anthropology, and neuroanthropology. He received his Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology in 2009 from the University at Albany, SUNY, where his doctoral focus was on the influence of speaking in tongues on stress response among Pentecostals. Chris runs a human behavioral ecology research group where the objectives include studying fun gimmicky things like trance, religious behavior, tattooing, and sex as a way of introducing students to the rigors of evolutionary science. In all his “free” time, he breaks up fights among his triplet sons, enjoys marriage to the other Loretta Lynn, strokes his mustache, and has learned to be passionate about Alabama football (Roll Tide!). Follow Chris on Twitter: @Chris_Ly

Building professional social networks through the American Anthropological Association annual meeting

Posted on December 3, 2016 by Christopher Lynn

A few years ago, I’d all but decided I wasn’t going to go to the American Anthropological Association main conference anymore. This was the year it was in San Francisco (111th Annual Meeting, 2012). Ironically, that was a memorable conference. … Continue reading →

Posted in American Anthropological Association, Anthropology, Biological Anthropology Section of AAA, Christopher Lynn, Conferences | Tagged Agustin Fuentes, Annals of Anthropological Practice, Avery McNeece, BASAA, Biological Anthropology Section, Courtney Kurlanska, Daniel Lende, Frans de Waal, Jim McKenna, Julienne Rutherford, Katie MacKinnon, Mandy Guitar, Marc Kissel, Max Stein, Melissa Harris Perry, Michaela Howells, Milford Wolpoff, Rachel Caspari, Robin Nelson, Sidney Greenfield | Comments Off

How to Make the Most of Guest Speakers or, Dinner with Ron Numbers

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Christopher Lynn

I wrote this post last fall but never got around to finishing & posting it. It’s dated but has a few valid points still worth putting out there. I always tell my students that I get more out of our … Continue reading →

Posted in History of science | Tagged ALLELE, History of science, Ron Numbers | Comments Off

“Huge service to the university and the community more generally”

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Christopher Lynn

Again, not to pat myself on the back, but to suggest to others what you can do to fight back against ignorance. There are protests, join them. There are businesses & organizations that are being attacked, support them. And there … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution in Higher Education, Evolution in the Classroom, Evolutionary Medicine, Genetics, Joseph Graves | Tagged ALLELE, Avery McNeece, Jim Bindon, Jo Weaver | Comments Off

A World Famous African-American Scientist Puts the Presidential Election in Perspective: “I Am Not Surprised At All”

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Christopher Lynn

On Wednesday, the day after our 2017 presidential election, I dreaded having to put on my host face to go out to dinner with Dr. Joseph Graves, our ALLELE speaker for Thursday. I couldn’t really stand the thought of talking … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Education, Evolution and Biology, Evolution in Higher Education, Evolutionary Medicine, Genetics, Joseph Graves | Tagged Alabama, ALLELE, biological determinism, eugenics, genomics, Jello Biafra, Jerry Coyne, Jonathan Marks, racism | Comments Off

Evolution Education in the American South

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Christopher Lynn

Coming soon, I will be proud of the publication of a volume called Evolution Education in the American South: Politics, Culture, and Resources in and around Alabama that I edited with Amanda Glaze, Bill Evans, & Laura Reed. The book … Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Education, Evolution in Higher Education, Evolution in Media, Evolution in the Classroom | Tagged Amanda Glaze, Caitlin Schrein, Cassie Medeiros, Dale Broder, Emily Kane, Erik Peterson, Evolution Education in the American South, Glenn Branch, Ian Binns, Joanne Souza, John Blitz, Laura Reed, Lester Stevens, Mark Bloom, Patricia Hawley, Paul Bingham, Prosanta Chakrabarty, Rachael Phillips, Ron Buta, Ron Numbers, William Evans | Comments Off

Southeastern Evolutionary Perspectives

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Christopher Lynn

As I’ve written several times in the past (here, for example), the Southeastern U.S. has a spotty record at best at teaching evolution at the K-12 level. There are many many wonderful teachers in the Southeast, but there is also … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution Conference, Evolution Society | Tagged Alabama Museum of Natural History, Amanda Glaze, KEPS, Kids Evolutionary Perspectives Society, Michaela Howells, SEEPS, Southeastern Evolutionary Perspectives Society | Comments Off

How Exactly is Evolution a “Crosscutting Concept”? Enter Bill Nye the Science Guy

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Christopher Lynn

Finally, Some Evolution Controversy: No Such Thing As Bad Press If you’re like me, you are feeling pretty bummed today about not getting a ticket to see Bill Nye. The fact that only a limited number of students were able … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Evolution & Astronomy, Evolution & Pop Culture, Evolution in Higher Education, Evolution in Media, Evolution in the Classroom | Tagged Alabama Lectures on Life's Evolution, ALLELE, Bill Nye, Bill Nye the Science Guy, E.O. Wilson | Comments Off

Reflections on the Costs of Evolved Self-Awareness: Comparing Trajectories of Davids—Foster Wallace & Insurgent

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Christopher Lynn

I’m going to be writing on the costly implications of self-awareness in a forthcoming book & was walking around listening to Reagan Youth on Spotify & David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest on Audible when some parallels occurred to me. I’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Evolution & Pop Culture, Evolution and Psychology, Evolution in Arts, Exaptation, Hypotheses, Literary Darwinism | Tagged CBGB's, Dave Insurgent, Dave Rubenstein, David Foster Wallace, depression, heroin addiction, Infinite Jest, Kurt Cobain, Lunachicks, marijuana addiction, New York Scum Rock, Nirvana, punk rock, Reagan Youth, self-awareness, self-obsession, suicide | Comments Off

Darwin’s Daily & Hourly Dharma

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Christopher Lynn

I’m just going to leave this right here… Yes, I know, I should explain, but my mind is reeling a bit right now. Ever have those experiences when you stumble across a literature that advances a model that runs parallel to … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Evolution and Psychology, Evolutionary Medicine, Genetics | Tagged absorption, Ernest Rossi, eye-roll test, hypnosis, hypnotizability, Rebecca Seligman, Stanley Greenfield, Tanya Luhrmann | Comments Off

Tattooing Primes the Immune System

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Christopher Lynn

…But First, a Test of the “Rap Guide to Evolution”… A few weeks ago I presented a poster at the Human Biology Association annual scientific meeting about the roles of emotions in learning about evolution via a performance of Baba … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Biological Anthropology | Tagged Baba Brinkman, EALS, Human Biology Association, immunoglobulin A, Ink and Immunity Study, innoculation hypothesis, inoculation hypothesis, Johnna Dominguez, Rap Guide to Evolution, Signaling theory, skin conductance, tattooing | 3 Comments