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July 3, 2009

Monkey 'IQ test' hints at intelligent human ancestor
June 17, 2009
Human intelligence may not be so human after all.   

Has the mystery of sex been explained at last?
June 15, 2009
The issue isn't just explaining why almost all plants and animals engage in sex. It is also explaining why the life forms that ruled the planet for billions of years and remain by far the most abundant—the bacteria—manage fine without it.   

Men prefer averagely shaped women
June 12, 2009
Men prefer averagely shaped women, according to a study that compared the body shapes of ordinary women, Playboy centrefolds and professional escorts.   

The sorriest animal: Why we seek forgiveness
June 11, 2009
It is a little-known fact that a life lived without enemies would be an extraordinarily dull affair.   

Looking like daddy has material rewards
June 10, 2009
Children who look and smell like their father receive more of their support, compared to kids who resemble dad less.   

When young men are scarce, they play the field
June 10, 2009
In places where young women outnumber young men, research shows the hemlines rise but the marriage rates don't because the young men feel less pressure to settle down as more women compete for their affections.   

Cancer: The cost of being smarter than chimps?
June 10, 2009
Are the cognitively superior brains of humans, in part, responsible for our higher rates of cancer?   

'Warrior gene' linked to gang membership, weapon use
June 8, 2009
Boys who carry a particular variation of the gene Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), sometimes called the "warrior gene," are more likely not only to join gangs but also to be among the most violent members and to use weapons.   

High population density triggers cultural explosions
June 5, 2009
Increasing population density, rather than boosts in brain-power, appears to have catalysed the emergence of modern human culture.   

Ancient warfare: Fighting for the greater good
June 5, 2009
War, what is it good for? A lot, it could turn out. Lethal warfare drove the evolution of altruistic behaviour among ancient humans, claims a new study based on archaeological records and mathematical simulations.   

Why won't your daughter call?
June 5, 2009
If you want to wait by the phone for your next college-aged daughter's call home, you should mark the days of her menstrual cycle on your calendar.   

Our primate ancestors have been laughing for 10m years
June 4, 2009
The first hoots of laughter from an ancient ancestor of humans rippled across the land at least 10 million years ago, according to a study of giggling primates.   

Why dishing does you good
June 3, 2009
Feeling emotionally close to a friend increases levels of the hormone progesterone, helping to boost well-being and reduce anxiety and stress.   

Hunks get more sex, but there's a price to pay
June 3, 2009
Skinny men have new reason to celebrate. Well, kind of. Beefcakes may be able to attract women by rippling their muscles, but the downside of all that brawn is a poor immune system and an increased appetite.   

Hold your head up. A blush just shows you care
June 2, 2009
As if splitting a pair of pants, telling a transparent lie or mispronouncing the word “epitome” weren’t humiliation enough, nature has provided humans, especially the fair-skinned kind, with a built-in scarlet letter.   

Sexual partners and interest in the opposite sex
May 29, 2009
A woman's partner status influenced her interest in the opposite sex.    

The nail in the coffin for group selection?
May 28, 2009
A model that examines the behaviour of parasites infecting their hosts renders the evolutionary paradigm of group selection unnecessary.   

Religions owe their success to suffering martyrs
May 28, 2009
What is the difference between Jesus Christ and Superman? The content of religions and popular tales is often similar, but only religions have martyrs.   

Male or female? Coloring provides gender cues
May 27, 2009
Our brain is wired to identify gender based on facial cues and coloring, according to a new study.   

Gene research finds opposites do attract
May 26, 2009
The bond of true love may be forged in the genes as well as in the mind.   

Monkeys found to wonder what might have been
May 21, 2009
Monkeys playing a game similar to "Let's Make A Deal" have revealed that their brains register missed opportunities and learn from their mistakes.   

Common feeding behavior in monkeys, humans
May 20, 2009
Behavioral ecologists working in Bolivia have found that wild spider monkeys control their diets in a similar way to humans, contrary to what has been thought up to now.   

Why people believe invisible agents control the world
May 19, 2009
Souls, spirits, ghosts, gods, demons, angels, aliens, intelligent designers, government conspirators, and all manner of invisible agents with power and intention are believed to haunt our world and control our lives. Why?   

The power of backward thinking
May 19, 2009
If avoidance and retreat have to do with danger, is it possible that backward motion might actually recruit more brain power than forward motion?   

Five minutes with: Richard Dawkins
May 18, 2009
Celebrities and news-makers get grilled in exactly five minutes in a series for the BBC News website. This week, evolutionary biologist, atheist and author Richard Dawkins talks about death, being good and the point of life.   

Brain's organization switches as children become adults
May 18, 2009
Any child confronting an outraged parent demanding to know "What were you thinking?" now has a new response: "Scientists have discovered that my brain is organized differently than yours."   

Are humans cruel to be kind?
May 18, 2009
Why do we inflict pain for no gain? On the face of it, it is rather a perverse way of going about things. Does spitefulness stem from an affronted sense of fairness? Or something altogether darker?   

Studying genomic patterns of human population structure
May 15, 2009
Through sophisticated statistical analyses and advanced computer simulations, researchers are learning more about the genomic patterns of human population structure around the world.   

Let's hold hands: Why viruses love humans
May 14, 2009
Most mammals are solitary. Primates, on the other hand, are an order full of social animals. But sociality comes with a cost—we make great hosts for viruses. And our primate brand of closeness makes us particularly vulnerable.   

Women 'fight off disease better'
May 13, 2009
Men really do have an excuse for supposedly being wimpy about coughs and colds—their immune systems are not as strong as women's.   

Cuteness with a purpose
May 13, 2009
What is cuteness for? No clear biological link has been found between cuteness and womanhood and mothering—until now.   

Warriors do not always get the girl
May 12, 2009
Aggressive behavior of men in some South American groups has been considered the means for obtaining more wives and more children, but anthropologists working in Ecuador show that sometimes the macho guy does not do better.   

Are we all capable of violence?
May 11, 2009
It was one of the thorniest questions of the 20th Century and it remains a conundrum today. Are all "ordinary" people potentially violent?   

The debut of The Bio-Rational Forum
January 31, 2003
The debut of The Bio-Rational Forum was held on March 1-2, 2003, at the Grand Pacific Palisades Resort Hotel in Carlsbad, California. The Forum provided a comprehensive introduction to the evolution of the brain, and the five primal instincts that influence human behavior.   


 

 

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