why do we seek out those we sub-consciously perceive to "smell right" and avoid those that dont? We are actually very stinky apes. Other animals have a stronger sense of smell, but since we don't have this skill, we produce a lot of odor so that we can communicate information through olfaction. One...

This is a story of coevolution.... During the Mesozoic era (the latter years of the dinosaurs) a revolutionary change occured in the plant world that created new ecological niches. Angiosperms evolved. These are plants with showy flowers, sugary nectars, and nutritious, easily digestible fruits. The...

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted anything. I have been grading midterms. I wanted to cite my source. This is the textbook we are using for the class I am teaching. Below is a link to the publisher's site. You can get one chapter on the Evolution of Cooperation for free. You can also pur...

i'm curious to know what you know about twins... my sisters are identical twins, and, while very alike, they are also quite different in some ways ... some physical traits, some personality traits. i guess that's a pretty open question... but how would two people with identical genes and upbringing...

mynx/minx I do not think that word means what you think it means. Yes. I watched the video and we are mistaken. It is the Iberian lynx about which we write (not mynx). According to the Nature piece, the lynx is endangered because humans introduced a disease in the area -- in order to reduce the rab...

question, do epigenetic factors apply to all species? epigenetic = non-DNA cellular transmission of traits For further reading on this revolutionary subject, I suggest the following book by Eva Jablonka and Marion J. Lamb. http://mitpress.mit.edu/images/products/books/0262101076-f30.jpg About the B...

on a serious note....i saw a piece the other night about near extinct species and the effects of isolation and in particular, the iberian mynx which has a genetic pre-coded disposition to kill their siblings viciously during the so-called "fighting" season... before their numbers dwindled as a dire...

Forces of evolutionary change act to change the frequency of alternative traits in the populations from generation to generation. Natural Selection = non-random differential reproductive success; over time differences in rates of reproduction increases the frequency of variants that increase surviva...

Evolution is a very slow process. Populations change over time as the distribution of traits change from generation to generation. People are often comfortable with the idea that natural selection can make minor changes, but they are not willing to concede that this same process can produce differen...

So here are Darwin's three postulates from which natural selection is deduced. These postulates, or conditions, must hold for natural selection to produce adaptations. 1. The ability of a population to expand is infinite, but the ability of any environment to support populations is always finite. Th...

[quote="Ugly Dougly"]Does evolution make us "better" or is it just change for its own sake?[/quote] Adaptations emerge because they help INDIVIDUALS to survive and reproduce at faster rates in a particular environment than those who don't have the adaptation. So in one sense they can make particular...

I just happen to be teaching evolutionary theory this year at UCLA. I thought others might be interested in learning about the theory, so I am offering up my services as an anthropologist who can answer your questions about the study of evolution. I thought I would start off by defining a few terms....

Does "democracy" mean one person one vote -- each person voting according to their own interests?
or can "democracy" means consensus -- people engaging in a process of deliberation on a specific issue... and then some individuals may come out against their own interests?

[quote="Stagger"]p.s. If you want to tell them what you think, look for my art project on the playa next year.... it will be entitled WE THE PEOPLE SAY... and will let you speak your mind to the every single elected federal employee at the same time... (I think it will be a hoot) [/quote] I hope to ...

[quote="oneeyeddick"]
This topic has been beaten to death in the previous years ...[/quote]

Can you paraphrase these past discussions or refer me to where I could read them myself? I am very interested in this topic.

Amendment #1: The Steward of the United States Our founding fathers believed that a balance of power keeps governments in check. I think that we need to address the imbalance that has crept into our government, by checking the power of the executive branch. I am suggesting that we break the Presiden...

[quote]--Should children be allowed , or should they ban nudity at Burning Man ?--
I know this sounds like two seperate questions but essentially they are both connected at the hip.[/quote]


...How do you think that children are affected by seeing naked people?

In preparation for next year's theme, let’s brainstorm about the America we want to construct. Having experienced life in Black Rock City, I bet you have some great ideas, for example, about ways to curb the Man, so that creative communities can thrive. Craft an amendment to the constitution, post...