Anthropology

Ancient Andeans Modified Wild Tubers Into Potatoes, Then The Potatoes Modified Them Back

Recent DNA analyses show that ancient populations in the Peruvian highlands adapted wild tubers into potatoes- and then those potatoes in turn modified them in ways distinct from other global populations. Potatoes are native to South America and became an ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 9 2018 - 12:05pm

How Anti-Science Activists Manipulate Twitter- And How You Can Help Science Fight Back

There is a reason that environmental groups and other anti-science activists out-earn the pro-science non-profit world by 1000X, and that reason is emotion. See a scientist be emotional or aggressive in defending their work and any number of people, includ ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Nov 27 2018 - 4:33pm

Gone With The Wind Is The Most Successful Movie Of All Time, But The Wizard Of Oz Is Most 'Influential'

There's no question "Gone With The Wind" is the most successful movie of all time, when you count tickets sold, but it's not the most influential. Nor is "Star Wars." A network analysis instead shows that title goes to "T ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 30 2018 - 3:31pm

Silent Night: The Story Of The Carol That Led To The Christmas Truce Of 1914

Few Christmas carols evoke the season of peace and goodwill as readily as Silent Night. Two popular stories contribute to its appeal: one concerning the circumstances of its composition in Oberndorf, near Salzburg in Austria, and the other its role in the ...

Article - The Conversation - Dec 24 2018 - 8:00am

Predicting Teen Rape: Age Difference, Socioeconomic Status, Other Violent Behavior

Lacking clairvoyant technology as in "The Minority Report", predicting teen rape is impossible, but there are risk factors that can be warning signs.  A group of sociologists conducted interviews with victims from their university, a two-year col ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 3 2019 - 3:58pm

Women Wear White To Promote Equality- But Other Colors Were Historically Important Also

During President Donald Trump’s Feb. 5 State of the Union address, scores of Democratic congresswomen wore white to pay tribute to suffragists and their fight for women’s rights. ...

Article - The Conversation - Feb 16 2019 - 9:00am

Four Frequently Used Welsh English Words Link Wales To The Rest Of The World

It will likely come as no surprise that the large majority of – if not all – people in Wales can speak English. While Welsh is one of the oldest living languages in Europe, English, along with Flemish, first rooted itself in small enclaves in southwest Wa ...

Article - The Conversation - Mar 1 2019 - 5:00am

Socialist Libertarianism: How To Get 7 Beliefs Common To All Cultures Worldwide

A paper in Current Anthropology uses writing to distill what the authors believe are seven rules of morals common worldwide.  It's certainly a catchy idea for people who sit at the bar asking why Arabs and Israelis in the Middle East can't get al ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Mar 5 2019 - 4:17pm

Today 33 Million Americans Will Claim To Be Irish, But On St. Patrick's Day In 1776 Few Irish Wanted To Be American

Many people don't realize July 4th, 1776 was not the day the war between America and Britain started, it's simply the day we traitorous colonists finally had enough of our own country's army attacking us, taking over our homes, stealing our ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Mar 17 2019 - 8:16pm

Not Really Human: How Australians See Cyclists

A small survey in Australia (n=442) found that more than half of car drivers think cyclists are not really human, and many admit to intentionally driving too close to them.  The survey says it is the first to look at a road-user group with the problem of d ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 28 2019 - 2:14pm