Evolution
The Gospel of Wealth Fails the Inequity Test in Primates
Author’s Note: The following originally appeared at ScienceBlogs.com and was subsequently a finalist in the 3 Quarks Daily Science Prize judged by Richard Dawkins.
The Primate Diaries
Notes on science, politics, and history from a primate in the human zoo.
Evolution
Ayn Rand on Human Nature
“Every political philosophy has to begin with a theory of human nature,” wrote Harvard evolutionary biologist Richard Lewontin in his book Biology as Ideology .
Evolution
A Grimm Tale of Reproductive Conflict
A new study argues that in-law competition drove the evolution of menopause. But is the story too good to be true?In the classic Scandinavian folktale "The Twelve Wild Ducks," also known as "The Twelve Brothers" in Grimms' Fairy Tales , a wicked old Queen is jealous of her daughter-in-law's beauty...
Evolution
Punishing Cheaters Promotes the Evolution of Cooperation
Humans are one of the most cooperative species on the planet. Our ability to coordinate behavior and work collaboratively with others has allowed us to create the natural world’s largest and most densely populated societies, outside of deep sea microbial mats and a few Hymenoptera mega-colonies.However, a key problem when trying to understand the evolution of cooperation has been the issue of cheaters...
Evolution
The Joker's Wild: On the Ecology of Gun Violence in America
The United States is the deadliest wealthy country in the world. Can science help us explain, or even solve, our national crisis?
Evolution
The Good Fight
Prominent scientists are in a bitter struggle over the origins of kindness. But the root of this conflict may be the most ironic part of all.<
The Sciences
Reflections in the Monkey House
After a year of collaborative work it is time to reflect and give thanks. Won't you join us? Today marks the one year anniversary of The Primate Diaries in its latest incarnation here at the Scientific American blog network as well as my collaboration with the artist, and fellow primate, Nathaniel Gold...
Evolution
The Better Bonobos of Our Nature
In contrast to "killer-apes," the latest evidence suggests our peaceful primate cousins may be a better model for human origins. Author's note: A new study published in the journal Nature has sequenced the genome of bonobos and compared them to chimpanzees as well as humans finding some surprising results...
Evolution
The Failed Synthesis: Eduard Kolchinsky on the Dangers of Mixing Science and Politics
Science is social, but when political ideology takes precedence over experimental evidence the results can be fatal.The United States is in the midst of a partisan political battle over science...
Evolution
The Allure of Gay Cavemen
Third genders, two spirits, and a media without a clue. Author's Note: Earlier this month the UK Daily Mail reported on continued excavation at an archaeological site near Prague where researchers described an individual with an alternative gender identity...
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