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Why are most people right-handed? [Evolution]
It seems like such a simple question, but it’s actually one of the most biggest mysteries in all of science. Is it because of how our brains are organized, how ancient humans gripped tools, or is it simple anti-lefty prejudice?
Nobody knows for sure, … Continue reading
Posted in syndicated
Tagged biology, Brain, evolution, handedness, Human evolution, Left-Handedness, neanderthal, Neuroscience, primate, Right-Handedness, science, syndicated, Top
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Why are most people right-handed? [Evolution]
It seems like such a simple question, but it’s actually one of the most biggest mysteries in all of science. Is it because of how our brains are organized, how ancient humans gripped tools, or is it simple anti-lefty prejudice?
Nobody knows for sure, … Continue reading
Posted in syndicated
Tagged biology, Brain, evolution, handedness, Human evolution, Left-Handedness, neanderthal, Neuroscience, primate, Right-Handedness, science, syndicated, Top
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Why Economic Inequality is Killing Us [Afternoon Reading]
Even in decidedly “wealthy” countries, human health is not always guaranteed. In fact, studies show that the best indicator of a country’s health is not its overall wealth, but how that wealth is distributed. Time Magazine’s Maia Szalavitz reports:
Im… Continue reading
Posted in economics, health, syndicated
Tagged Afternoon reading, Ecology, evolution, Maia Szalavitz, medicine, science, syndicated
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Arguing for Atheism
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A review of Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion (Bantam Books, 2006, ISBN 0618680004). This review was originally published in Science, January 26, 2007.
There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs…. Continue reading
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Tagged evolution, faith, God, Natural Selection, reading room, religion, Richard Dawkins, science, syndicated, The God Delusion
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The hagfish eats in the most disgusting way possible [Biology]
The hagfish is an evolutionary throwback that definitely lives up to its name. When the eel-like creature finds a carcass on the seafloor, it burrows inside the dead meat and starts eating…not just with its mouth, but with its skin.
The trick of abso… Continue reading
Fish in polluted waters have evolved into toxin-resistant super mutants [Evolution]
The Atlantic tomcod that live in the heavily polluted Hudson River have come up with an extreme solution to deal with all the toxins surrounding them: mutate, and mutate fast. But though their super-speedy adaptation has allowed them to survive over th… Continue reading
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Tagged adaptation, biology, Chemicals, Ecology, Environment, evolution, Fb, Fish, hudson river, mutation, Pollution, science, Striped bass, syndicated, Tomcod, tweet
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Parrots hold the evolutionary secret of why we’re left-handed or right-handed [Evolution]
Almost everybody has a dominant hand that they use, but it’s actually a mystery why that is. After all, we can see both of our hands just as well, and there’s no built-in reason why one should work better than the other. But some grabby parrots might h… Continue reading
Posted in syndicated
Tagged biology, evolution, evolutionary biology, handedness, left-handed, Parrot, Right-handed, science, syndicated
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How an agnostic, libertarian hypochondriac invented "survival of the fittest" [Secret History]
The most famous philosopher of the Victorian age, Herbert Spencer, coined the term “survival of the fittest”, tried to apply the concepts of evolution to human society, and was described by Charles Darwin himself as “twenty times my superior.” He was … Continue reading
Posted in philosophy, syndicated
Tagged Anarchy libertarianism, Charles, Darwin, evolution, Herbert spencer, Natural Selection, Profile, secret history, Sociology, Survival of the Fittest, syndicated, Top
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What is the evolutionary purpose of tickling? [Evolution]
You probably know that you can’t tickle yourself. And although you might be able to tickle a total stranger, your brain also strongly discourages you from doing something so socially awkward. These facts offer insight into tickling’s evolutionary purpo… Continue reading
Why We Hiccup [Evolution]
Hiccups don’t serve a useful function anymore, but they were useful to our very ancient ancestors. Find out how early fish ‘hiccuped’ in order to breath underwater.
Hiccups are a great way to ruin a good meal, a sad movie, or a first date. They’re anno… Continue reading
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Tagged amphibians, Anatomy, evolution, Io9 backgrounder, science, syndicated
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Is evolution pushing our DNA towards diabetes? [Evolution]
Eighty DNA variants associated with type-1 diabetes have undergone positive selection, increasing in prevalence over recent generations. Here’s the crazy part – 58 of those variantsincrease the risk of the deadly disease. Why is evolution seemingly out… Continue reading
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Tagged biology, Diabetes, evolution, Fb, Genetics, Genomics, science, syndicated, tweet
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Meet your true ancestor: The segmented worm [Evolution]
Segmentation, the replication of anatomical structures throughout the body, is found in many animal species. It’s also a huge reason why all those species succeeded, and it comes from a single common ancestor 600 million years ago.Specifically, segment… Continue reading
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Tagged biology, evolution, Fb, science, Segmentation, syndicated, tweet
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Evolution’s Third Replicator?
This article argues that we are seeing a new form of evolution emerging, after genes and memes. WE HUMANS have let loose something extraordinary on our planet – a third replicator – the consequences of which are unpredictable and possibly … Continue reading