Category Archives: Anthropology
Evolutionary Tchotchkes as Objectified Cultural Capital
I was recently skimming thru human behavioral ecologist Lee Cronk’s book That Complex Whole looking for a good definition of signaling theory (which I couldn’t find there but found in a recent Bulbulia & Sosis article). In rereading Lee’s intro, I saw that one … Continue reading
Cueing Self-Deception thru Cosmetics & Speaking in Tongues
In my friend Bria Dunham’s piece, “The Role for Signaling Theory and Receiver Psychology in Marketing,” I came across this line: In women, facial masculinity may serve as a cue of sexual attitudes and behavior due to the underlying association … Continue reading
Evolved to be a Super Chicken
I have wanted to raise chickens for years. I think it’s a mix of seeing how much fun it might be to play with domestication ala Darwin (I love gardening too), really admiring the fancy chickens at the county fairs … Continue reading
Patrick Clarkin’s Humans are (blank)-ogamous Series
The image Patrick Clarkin uses in his 6th installment of the “Humans are (Blank) -ogamous” is so excellent that I have to repost it & give props to Patrick, a biological anthropologist at UMass Boston. In this series, he explores … Continue reading
May is National Masturbation Month
My students asked for more masturbation & here is the resource. In student evaluation of the Anthropology of Sex course I taught last semester, several students indicated that future iterations of the course should include more discussion of masturbation. Somehow, … Continue reading
Diversity is Our Business–& Going to Museums in the Nude
Describing his Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart Tasmania in the May 2012 issue of Smithsonian, gambler millionaire & iconoclast David Walsh says it is “a subversive adult Disneyland & there is a sense where I’m trying to … Continue reading
Pivoting around Smartphones & Cigarettes: Evolved to Play in Extra-structural Interludes
Smartphones are like cigarettes are like junk food are like chewing your nails or doodling. Right. What do they have in common? Easy. Things we do when we’re bored. Bored in my class? Doodle. There were some amazing Jurassic landscapes … Continue reading
Biological Anthropology Blogs
John Hawks is a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who I first saw give a talk at the American Anthropological Association conference last year. The first thing that caught my attention was that he looks like a pre-emo hipster … Continue reading
