Posts Tagged ‘anthropology’
Ape pelvis fills gap in evolution puzzle
U. MISSOURI (US) — Experts say the pelvis from an 11.9 million-year-old ape skeleton suggests the primate probably lived near the beginning of the great ape evolution. Continue…
Thursday, May 2, 2013 12:22 - 1 Comment
Society & Culture - Apr 26, 2013 10:23 - 0 Comments
Maya marked start of ‘new form of society’
U. ARIZONA (US) — Scientists have uncovered evidence at a site in Guatemala that suggests the origins of the Maya civilization are more complex than previously thought. (more…)
Top Stories - Apr 12, 2013 10:42 - 11 Comments
Ape-like human ancestor stirs debate
BOSTON U. / DUKE (US) — New analysis of a pair of 1.98 million year old fossil proto-humans discovered in a South African cave in 2008 has yielded surprising insights into human evolution. (more…)
Society & Culture - Apr 11, 2013 14:16 - 0 Comments
Selfishness can spread to the socially minded
U. MISSOURI (US) — Individuals don’t want to be “suckered” into giving if others in the group get away without helping, new research suggests. (more…)
Science & Technology - Mar 21, 2013 12:31 - 1 Comment
Chimps know it’s not what you eat, but when
PURDUE (US) — When it comes to mealtimes, chimpanzees eat smart, and may give serious thought to the quality and timing of their food. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Feb 22, 2013 16:05 - 0 Comments
Rancher mindset key to saving Amazon
UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — Debates about saving the Amazon rain forest often portray cattle ranchers as “bad guys,” but an anthropologist says it’s important to understand their perspectives, too. (more…)
Society & Culture - Feb 18, 2013 12:19 - 2 Comments
Can culture protect genetics from misuse?
WASHINGTON U. – ST. LOUIS (US) — In the past, good science has been used for unethical purposes, like eugenics. The concept of culture can protect genetics from a similar fate, an anthropologist argues. (more…)
Top Stories - Jan 31, 2013 12:38 - 0 Comments
Ancient DNA opens Aztec ‘cold case’
U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — DNA recovered from human remains suggests the Aztec conquest of Xaltocan had a significant genetic impact on the town. (more…)
Society & Culture - Jan 30, 2013 17:35 - 0 Comments
Archaic tribe built mound in under 90 days
WASHINGTON U. – ST. LOUIS (US) — The speedy construction of an earthen mound challenges assumptions about the social structure of early American hunter-gatherers. (more…)
Society & Culture - Jan 9, 2013 15:12 - 0 Comments
5 universal personality traits? Maybe not
UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — The five personality traits considered universal to all humans may not be so universal after all, according to a study of an isolated indigenous group in Bolivia. (more…)
Society & Culture - Jan 4, 2013 14:29 - 0 Comments
African-American Hoodoo: more than magic
RUTGERS (US) — The tradition of herbal healing known as Hoodoo is about more than using hex-breaking oils and candles to ward off bad vibes, according to a new book by scholar Katrina Hazzard-Donald. (more…)
Society & Culture - Jan 2, 2013 11:36 - 2 Comments
Rock art clarifies demise of pre-Aboriginal culture
U. QUEENSLAND (AUS) — Ancient rock art suggests a 1,500-year-long mega-drought may have been responsible for the disappearance of a pre-historic culture that predates present day Aboriginal people. (more…)
Science & Technology - Nov 20, 2012 16:04 - 0 Comments
Spears with stone tips used 500,000 years ago
U. TORONTO (CAN) — Human ancestors used stone-tipped weapons for hunting 500,000 years ago, about 200,000 years earlier than previously thought. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 8, 2012 17:54 - 1 Comment
Climate change withered Maya civilization
PENN STATE / UC DAVIS (US) — A high-resolution climate record spanning 2,000 years shows how Maya political systems developed and fell apart in response to climate change, researchers report. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 12, 2012 10:18 - 3 Comments
For Tsimane, birth control access may not cut fertility
UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — For an indigenous group who live in the lowlands of Bolivia’s Amazon basin, access to contraception and education doesn’t necessarily lead to lower fertility, a new study suggests. (more…)
Top Stories - Aug 24, 2012 10:05 - 1 Comment
Neandertal’s brawny arm hints at language
U. KANSAS (US) — Research confirming that a Neandertal was right-handed could suggest a capacity for language, a new study shows. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jul 12, 2012 15:45 - 0 Comments
Fire hunting shields Australian mammals
STANFORD (US) — When species start disappearing, it usually makes sense to blame it on the arrival of humans. But in the case of Western Australia’s declining small mammal populations, the opposite may be true. (more…)
Top Stories - Jun 27, 2012 17:05 - 0 Comments
Pre-human chowed down like a chimp
TEXAS A&M (US) — One of humans’ early relatives ate leaves, bark, fruit, and nuts, which scientists say indicate it lived in a more wooded environment than previously thought. (more…)
Top Stories - May 22, 2012 11:13 - 0 Comments
For aging hunter-gatherers, hypertension is rare
UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — While age-related increases in blood pressure are common in the United States, that does not seem to be the case among hunter-gatherers. (more…)
