News tagged with human culture

Professor examines the complex evolution of human morality

(PhysOrg.com) -- Although the question of what makes humans different from other animals doesn't have a single obvious answer, one seemingly conspicuous human trait is morality. Darwin, in his book The Descent of Man, an ...

Biology / Evolution

created May 19, 2010 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (27) | comments 428 | with audio podcast feature

New discovery may eliminate potentially lethal side effect of stem cell therapy

Like fine chefs, scientists are seemingly approaching a day when they will be able to make nearly any type of tissue from human embryonic stem cells. You need nerves or pancreas, bone or skin? With the right combination of ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Aug 14, 2011 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (10) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Culture in humans and apes has the same evolutionary roots: study

Culture is not a trait that is unique to humans. By studying orangutan populations, a team of researchers headed by anthropologist Michael Krützen from the University of Zurich has demonstrated that great apes also have ...

Biology / Evolution

created Oct 20, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (8) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Altruism: Genetic or Cultural Evolution?

(PhysOrg.com) -- The origins of altruism, the willingness to make personal sacrifices for the benefit of others often unknown to us, has perplexed evolutionary social scientists and biologists for years.

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Oct 23, 2009 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (9) | comments 8

Germany may be birthplace of European music and art

The remains of the world's oldest musical instruments and human figurines suggest that music and artistic depictions of the human form may have first developed in Germany around 40,000 years ago, say researchers.

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created May 29, 2012 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (7) | comments 5

Music and spirituality may be legacies of motherese: expert

(PhysOrg.com) -- Ancient humans may have developed a capacity for music and a sense of spirituality linked to music because of the foetal/infant-maternal bond, according to international authority on the origins of music, ...

Other Sciences / Other

created Jan 31, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Ancestors of African Pygmies and neighboring farmers separated around 60,000 years ago

All African Pygmies, inhabiting a large territory extending west-to-east along Central Africa, descend from a unique population who lived around 20,000 years ago, according to an international study led by researchers at ...

Biology / Other

created Apr 10, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Last Neanderthals died out 37,000 years ago

(PhysOrg.com) -- The last Neanderthals in Europe died out at least 37,000 years ago - and both climate change and interaction with modern humans could be involved in their demise, according to new research ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Jan 27, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Old dog, new tricks: Study IDs 9,400-year-old mutt

Nearly 10,000 years ago, man's best friend provided protection and companionship - and an occasional meal. That's what researchers are saying after finding a bone fragment from what they are calling the earliest ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Jan 19, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Using digitized books as 'cultural genome,' researchers unveil quantitative approach to humanities

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have created a powerful new approach to scholarship, using approximately 4 percent of all books ever published as a digital "fossil record" of human culture. By tracking the frequency ...

Technology / Computer Sciences

created Dec 16, 2010 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Culture not genes drives humans forward

Evolutionary biologist at the University of Reading Professor Mark Pagel argues that our cultural influences are more important to our success as a species than our genes in his new book published this week.

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Feb 27, 2012 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (5) | comments 3

Chinese pottery may be earliest discovered

(AP) -- Bits of pottery discovered in a cave in southern China may be evidence of the earliest development of ceramics by ancient people.

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Jun 02, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (4) | comments 2

The humanities in America -- an endangered species?

(PhysOrg.com) -- In a world that is becoming more fast-paced and technological, the humanities are under fire to defend their time-honored centrality in Western culture and education. In the world of iPhone ...

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Feb 04, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (4) | comments 1

Tiny ancient shells point to earliest fashion trend

Shell beads newly unearthed from four sites in Morocco confirm early humans were consistently wearing and potentially trading symbolic jewellery as early as 80,000 years ago. These beads add significantly to similar finds ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Aug 27, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 1

'Free play' for children, teens is vital to social development, psychologist says

A new theory about early human adaptation suggests that our ancestors capitalized on their capacities for play to enable the development of a highly cooperative way of life.

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Apr 15, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 0