Category Archives: Columnists
“Huge service to the university and the community more generally”
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
A World Famous African-American Scientist Puts the Presidential Election in Perspective: “I Am Not Surprised At All”
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
How Evolutionary Psychology Can Help You on a First Date
“Are we doomed?” & “Oh, you must be using me as your case study!” These are the two comments I get the most at work. Did I mention I’m a bartender? By day, I study evolutionary psychology. But by … Continue reading
Darwin’s Big Idea: Evolution as a Cross-Cutting Construct
So recently Aron Wiegand, webmaster for evostudies.org, posted the following question to us EvoS bloggers: “From the selective breeding of plants to animal husbandry, conservation, and drug development, what do you consider to be the most prominent example of the … Continue reading
Struggling with a big decision? Your body knows the answer.
Got a heavy decision to make? Ask your body. I’m horrible at decision-making. Always have been. I don’t know why I struggle, but I will mull over my options for ages before I eventually settle with the cobb salad…. After … Continue reading
One giant step for Alabama students….now what’s next?
In the past week, something amazing happened. It isn’t what we traditionally think of as ground-breaking or life changing, but to millions of young people in one southern state, this will be the first step in a new lens on … Continue reading
New Paltz – A Beacon of Intellectual Freedom and of Evolutionary Studies
(this article first appeared as a letter to the editor in the New Paltz Times on 5/9/2014) Dear Editor, I write to give a status report on the Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) program that we’ve got at SUNY New Paltz – … Continue reading
Thinking Like an Anthropologist from Mars: Crucial for Good Human Science
Don’t worry, just as I promised you recently that the odds of an all-out zombie apocalypse are very low, I seriously doubt that there are any anthropologists from Mars among our ranks. This said, as a behavioral scientist, I think it may actually be very useful to think like an anthropologist from Mars. And this blog explains why! Continue reading
The Evolutionary Psychology of Marathon Running: Long May You Run!
Marathon running is not evolutionarily natural. While our ancestors ran a heck of a lot more than we do (on average), 26.2 miles in a single shot is not likely something that our ancestors did frequently. And intensive training for … Continue reading
2012 EvoS Summit at New Paltz – 10/26 – Evolution in Higher Education, Collaboration with Robb Wolf, Grant Activities, and More!
EvoS Summit Conference – 10/26/2012 Since David Sloan Wilson implemented the first undergraduate evolutionary studies (EvoS) program at Binghamton University about a decade ago, the notion of Darwin’s Big Idea guiding educational experiences across academic areas has led to significant … Continue reading