Category Archives: Anthropology
GUEST POST: Evolutionary Studies at the University of Alabama
From almost my first post I promised to let the students speak for themselves when it came to singing the praises of our EvoS program at the University of Alabama. One of our first UA EvoS alumni is Emily Freeman, … Continue reading
“Human Canvas” & “Upping-the-Ante” Hypotheses for the Evolutionary Significance of Tattooing
Despite the promise of evolutionary discussions of tattooing in my blog title, I have yet live up to the provocation it inspires…until now. Honestly, I’ve had a post about Iban tattooing & sexual selection in the back of my mind … Continue reading
The Campfire as a Social Nexus
Wrangham (2009) & McClenon (2006) describe the campfire in evolutionary history as something like a social nexus. Wrangham says it’s where hominids came to & learned to tolerate each other. McClenon says it’s where hominids developed their relaxation skills, by … Continue reading
The Psychophysiology of Fireside Relaxation
Following is a draft of the abstract I am working on for a poster I will propose to present at the 2013 Human Biology Association meeting in Knoxville, TN (yay, I can drive there!). Feedback is welcome. The psychophysiology of … Continue reading
Costa Rican Religious Ecology Study: Bringing in the Bribrí
There is nothing like sleeping on the floor of the ticketing area of the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to celebrate a successful field season of collecting preliminary data to inaugurate the Religious Ecology Study (see here, here, & here for previous introductions). … Continue reading
A Direct Test of Alloparenting and the Grandmother Effect – Thanks for all your Help, Mom!
Why are we different from the Neanderthals? Why do we roam the planet in the billions while our likely intelligent distant cousins permeate only ancient gravesites or the halls of natural history museums? Continue reading
Parasites & Religion in Costa Rica
I really don’t have anything to report about parasites in Costa Rica yet, or religion for that matter, but we did arrive yesterday to begin preliminary data collection for the Costa Rican Religious Ecology Study, as I’ve been calling it. … Continue reading
HBES 2012 Roundup 2: Brian Hare’s Chimp/Bonobo Cognition Plenary, Mommy Brain Fogs, & Baba Brinkman Evolution Raps
Friday’s HBES meetings started with a plenary by anthropologist Brian Hare from Duke. Let me just say that I like the starting days with plenaries. No presenters have to “pay dues” with crappy earlier spots that everyone sleeps through. People … Continue reading
Religious Ecology Study (in Costa Rica & Tuscaloosa)
In a few weeks I’ll be heading to Limón province in Costa Rica to begin the first phase of what I hope will be a multi-site study of religious ecology. We (my students in the Human Behavioral Ecology Research Group [HBERG] … Continue reading
Penis Diversity is our Business
Actually, penis diversity is not our business. In fact, one of the student evaluations for the Anthropology of Sex course I taught this past semester said I talked too much about animal diversity & not enough about humans. I’m not sure … Continue reading
