O:9:"MagpieRSS":20:{s:6:"parser";i:0;s:12:"current_item";a:0:{}s:5:"items";a:15:{i:0;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:25:"Judge a book by its cover";s:11:"description";s:2720:"

barackbandar.jpgTo the left is Bandar bin Sultan. To the right, Barack Obama. Bandar bin Sultan is the son of a Saudi prince and his Sudanese "servant" (probably a slave). So we know that Bandar bin Sultan is 1/2 Arab and 1/2 Sudanese. Anwar Sadat had a Egyptian father and a Sudanese mother. In any case, here is Bandar's father. Because of the fact that violent terrorists are Arab Muslims and various East-West dichotomies Arabs are coded as "brown," but really many of them are not that brown (trust me, I'm brown, I know brown, and many Arabs are not the real deal). This is why Ralph Nader never gets any attention for being an Arab. Or why Tiffany (Darwish) was never profiled as an Arab American pop starlet (Lebanese American father). And why Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana, is not usually considered a high level executive of color, and why the senator from New Hampshire, is not considered a fellow racial minority in the Senate along with Obama and the guys from Hawaii.

This is why this stuff about Barack Obama being Arab is crazy. There are plenty of black Arabs of course, mostly in the Sudan and East Africa. Arab is a cultural-linguistic identity, so race is no bar. But the fact is that most Arabs are a Mediterranean looking folk as the process of Arabicization occurred mostly in the Near East and North Africa. And, perhaps to the shock of Real White People many consider themselves white, and have traditionally had some contempt for dark-skinned peoples from Africa and South Asia. I go over all this to emphasize how retarded it is for people to say that Barack Obama is not black or African, but an Arab. Aziz pointed me to this post, claiming that Obama is Arab and not a "Negro":

Read the rest of this post... |";s:4:"link";s:91:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/420833062/judge_a_book_by_its_cover.php";s:4:"guid";s:66:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/judge_a_book_by_its_cover.php";s:8:"category";s:7:"Culture";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:43:41 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:66:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/judge_a_book_by_its_cover.php";}s:7:"summary";s:2720:"

barackbandar.jpgTo the left is Bandar bin Sultan. To the right, Barack Obama. Bandar bin Sultan is the son of a Saudi prince and his Sudanese "servant" (probably a slave). So we know that Bandar bin Sultan is 1/2 Arab and 1/2 Sudanese. Anwar Sadat had a Egyptian father and a Sudanese mother. In any case, here is Bandar's father. Because of the fact that violent terrorists are Arab Muslims and various East-West dichotomies Arabs are coded as "brown," but really many of them are not that brown (trust me, I'm brown, I know brown, and many Arabs are not the real deal). This is why Ralph Nader never gets any attention for being an Arab. Or why Tiffany (Darwish) was never profiled as an Arab American pop starlet (Lebanese American father). And why Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana, is not usually considered a high level executive of color, and why the senator from New Hampshire, is not considered a fellow racial minority in the Senate along with Obama and the guys from Hawaii.

This is why this stuff about Barack Obama being Arab is crazy. There are plenty of black Arabs of course, mostly in the Sudan and East Africa. Arab is a cultural-linguistic identity, so race is no bar. But the fact is that most Arabs are a Mediterranean looking folk as the process of Arabicization occurred mostly in the Near East and North Africa. And, perhaps to the shock of Real White People many consider themselves white, and have traditionally had some contempt for dark-skinned peoples from Africa and South Asia. I go over all this to emphasize how retarded it is for people to say that Barack Obama is not black or African, but an Arab. Aziz pointed me to this post, claiming that Obama is Arab and not a "Negro":

Read the rest of this post... |";}i:1;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:29:"Steve Jones, in his own words";s:11:"description";s:1577:"

The BBC interviews Steve Jones. Nothing new. I think Jones' fixation on natural selection as a function of parameters exogenous to the population is part of the problem. A lot of evolution is probably due to intraspecific dynamics, that is, individual vs. individual competition within a population, not to mention host-parasite co-evolution via the evolutionary arms race. And there is the ever present empirical contention that Jones' makes that humans used to breed like elephant seals. He's wrong. But, I have to say I understand why the media loves him, he exudes confidence and is not prone to the over subtly and qualification which is often the norm among academic scientists.

Related: Britney & Jamie Lynn falsify Steve Jones, Evolution, why it still happens (in pictures) and No Virginia, evolution isn't ending.

Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:94:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/420423214/steve_jones_in_his_own_words.php";s:4:"guid";s:69:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/steve_jones_in_his_own_words.php";s:8:"category";s:9:"Evolution";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:43:12 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:69:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/steve_jones_in_his_own_words.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1577:"

The BBC interviews Steve Jones. Nothing new. I think Jones' fixation on natural selection as a function of parameters exogenous to the population is part of the problem. A lot of evolution is probably due to intraspecific dynamics, that is, individual vs. individual competition within a population, not to mention host-parasite co-evolution via the evolutionary arms race. And there is the ever present empirical contention that Jones' makes that humans used to breed like elephant seals. He's wrong. But, I have to say I understand why the media loves him, he exudes confidence and is not prone to the over subtly and qualification which is often the norm among academic scientists.

Related: Britney & Jamie Lynn falsify Steve Jones, Evolution, why it still happens (in pictures) and No Virginia, evolution isn't ending.

Read the comments on this post...";}i:2;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:32:"We are all scientists in the ICU";s:11:"description";s:1065:"

Over at Anthropology.net Emanuel Lusca has a post, Science As A Human Practice. I sniped a little in the comments, to which Emanuel responded:

My intention was not to refine, clarify, or elevate science. My intention was to point out that science should not be put on a pedestal, that it is like any other human practice, e.g. religious practice. In my mind science and religion are equally valuable and insightful. And of course, you and many others will criticize me for that, but that's okay.

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:96:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/420211820/we_are_all_scientists_in_the_i.php";s:4:"guid";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/we_are_all_scientists_in_the_i.php";s:8:"category";s:7:"Culture";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:13:03 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/we_are_all_scientists_in_the_i.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1065:"

Over at Anthropology.net Emanuel Lusca has a post, Science As A Human Practice. I sniped a little in the comments, to which Emanuel responded:

My intention was not to refine, clarify, or elevate science. My intention was to point out that science should not be put on a pedestal, that it is like any other human practice, e.g. religious practice. In my mind science and religion are equally valuable and insightful. And of course, you and many others will criticize me for that, but that's okay.

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...";}i:3;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:38:"Vitamin D is important to your health?";s:11:"description";s:1282:"

The August issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has a supplement of articles, Vitamin D and Health in the 21st Century Update. ScienceDaily has some quotes from one of the main researchers:

... Norman identifies vitamin D's potential for contributions to good health in the adaptive and innate immune systems, the secretion and regulation of insulin by the pancreas, the heart and blood pressure regulation, muscle strength and brain activity. In addition, access to adequate amounts of vitamin D is believed to be beneficial towards reducing the risk of cancer.

I think a focus on the immune system is important from an evolutionary perspective.

Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:96:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/419748583/vitamin_d_is_important_to_your.php";s:4:"guid";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/vitamin_d_is_important_to_your.php";s:8:"category";s:9:"Evolution";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:08:21 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/vitamin_d_is_important_to_your.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1282:"

The August issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has a supplement of articles, Vitamin D and Health in the 21st Century Update. ScienceDaily has some quotes from one of the main researchers:

... Norman identifies vitamin D's potential for contributions to good health in the adaptive and innate immune systems, the secretion and regulation of insulin by the pancreas, the heart and blood pressure regulation, muscle strength and brain activity. In addition, access to adequate amounts of vitamin D is believed to be beneficial towards reducing the risk of cancer.

I think a focus on the immune system is important from an evolutionary perspective.

Read the comments on this post...";}i:4;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:21:"Experiments in Ethics";s:11:"description";s:3433:"

expethics.jpgIf the trolley problem is not known to you, I would recommend Kwame Anthony Appiah's Experiments in Ethics. It is one of those works which combines brevity with density, a feast of ideas laid out before you which is nevertheless consumable in a minimal span of time. And Appiah is an engaging writer to boot, switching seamlessly between informal and elevated registers. I suspect the last is a reflection of his interactions with younger people in the form of graduate students in concert with his British philosophical training.

In Experiments in Ethics Appiah takes the tack of an experimental philosopher in exploring the shoals of human moral sense and sensibility. There are three threads which work their way through narrative: history of philosophy, empirical results from various disciplines which speak to ethical questions and finally the Big Questions of the good and right life. These threads are naturally not clear and distinct, fading into each other. Appiah argues plausibly that experimental philosophy with its diverse toolkit is actually more in keeping with the spirit of the discipline as it has been practiced for most of its history. What we know of as philosophy is an orphaned creature, shorn of its innumerable daughter disciplines, the natural and human sciences. As I am already one who accepts the proposition that understanding human nature through a priori means is a fool's errand Appiah's brief against the universality of the reflective insights, intuition and introspection of professional philosophers finds a ready audience.

Yet even though Experiments in Ethics proselytizes for novel if true & tested methods to revitalize the most ancient of intellectual endeavors, Appiah nevertheless remains focused on questions which philosophers traditionally ask. In concert with cognitive scientists experimental philosophers seem to have rather convincingly toppled the methodological presuppositions as to the powers of reason of individual scholars. But at the end of the day this is a case of being unable to put Humpty-Dumpty back together. Even though the emperor has no clothes at least he had some moral clarity. After ripping through the pretensions of contemporary wisdom it seems that we're left back at the doorstep of Nicomachean Ethics. But is that truly so bad?

Related: For a meatier review, I recommend Morality Studies by the cognitive psychologist Paul Bloom.

Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:87:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/419676270/experiments_in_ethics.php";s:4:"guid";s:62:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/experiments_in_ethics.php";s:8:"category";s:10:"philosophy";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:34:11 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:62:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/experiments_in_ethics.php";}s:7:"summary";s:3433:"

expethics.jpgIf the trolley problem is not known to you, I would recommend Kwame Anthony Appiah's Experiments in Ethics. It is one of those works which combines brevity with density, a feast of ideas laid out before you which is nevertheless consumable in a minimal span of time. And Appiah is an engaging writer to boot, switching seamlessly between informal and elevated registers. I suspect the last is a reflection of his interactions with younger people in the form of graduate students in concert with his British philosophical training.

In Experiments in Ethics Appiah takes the tack of an experimental philosopher in exploring the shoals of human moral sense and sensibility. There are three threads which work their way through narrative: history of philosophy, empirical results from various disciplines which speak to ethical questions and finally the Big Questions of the good and right life. These threads are naturally not clear and distinct, fading into each other. Appiah argues plausibly that experimental philosophy with its diverse toolkit is actually more in keeping with the spirit of the discipline as it has been practiced for most of its history. What we know of as philosophy is an orphaned creature, shorn of its innumerable daughter disciplines, the natural and human sciences. As I am already one who accepts the proposition that understanding human nature through a priori means is a fool's errand Appiah's brief against the universality of the reflective insights, intuition and introspection of professional philosophers finds a ready audience.

Yet even though Experiments in Ethics proselytizes for novel if true & tested methods to revitalize the most ancient of intellectual endeavors, Appiah nevertheless remains focused on questions which philosophers traditionally ask. In concert with cognitive scientists experimental philosophers seem to have rather convincingly toppled the methodological presuppositions as to the powers of reason of individual scholars. But at the end of the day this is a case of being unable to put Humpty-Dumpty back together. Even though the emperor has no clothes at least he had some moral clarity. After ripping through the pretensions of contemporary wisdom it seems that we're left back at the doorstep of Nicomachean Ethics. But is that truly so bad?

Related: For a meatier review, I recommend Morality Studies by the cognitive psychologist Paul Bloom.

Read the comments on this post...";}i:5;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:40:"Britney & Jamie Lynn falsify Steve Jones";s:11:"description";s:1921:"
eng_Jamie_Lynn_BM_B_680653g.jpg
Photo credit: AP

In light of last week's posts about why human evolution continues, I think it is critical to make concrete the reality of reproductive variance. It seems highly likely now that Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant again. This might be a moot point if she has an abortion, though now that the word is out the public relations fall out might reduce the likelihood of that choice. The behaviors and outcomes of the lives of the Spears sisters are in the public spotlight, so let's leverage this into an illustration of evolutionary theory. Last year I wrote Jamie Lynn Spears: it runs in the family?:

"I heard about it on the radio, they were talking about it. It's real popular down there. Everybody knows about them," Raynard Norman laughed. "It's embarrassing, kind of. If it's not her, it's Britney, so at least it's not Britney this time. But I'm not surprised, not really. ... Nobody's surprised because it's not uncommon with her family. Next time, use a condom."

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:96:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/419403464/britney_jamie_lynn_falsify_ste.php";s:4:"guid";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/britney_jamie_lynn_falsify_ste.php";s:8:"category";s:9:"Evolution";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:18:15 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/britney_jamie_lynn_falsify_ste.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1921:"
eng_Jamie_Lynn_BM_B_680653g.jpg
Photo credit: AP

In light of last week's posts about why human evolution continues, I think it is critical to make concrete the reality of reproductive variance. It seems highly likely now that Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant again. This might be a moot point if she has an abortion, though now that the word is out the public relations fall out might reduce the likelihood of that choice. The behaviors and outcomes of the lives of the Spears sisters are in the public spotlight, so let's leverage this into an illustration of evolutionary theory. Last year I wrote Jamie Lynn Spears: it runs in the family?:

"I heard about it on the radio, they were talking about it. It's real popular down there. Everybody knows about them," Raynard Norman laughed. "It's embarrassing, kind of. If it's not her, it's Britney, so at least it's not Britney this time. But I'm not surprised, not really. ... Nobody's surprised because it's not uncommon with her family. Next time, use a condom."

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...";}i:6;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:19:"DonorsChoose update";s:11:"description";s:1081:"

Just an update on the DonorsChoose drive for this year. I've removed some funded challenges from my drive, and added a whole lot more. In general they're either bioscience related, or, they're projects from really poor schools. This year I haven't raised much money through my drive, though some of the other ScienceBlogs are doing really well on the Leaderboard. Obviously "winning" isn't that big of a deal here, but both years this weblog's challenges have finished out really strong, so I'm not too worried....

(shout out to those who gave early!)

";s:4:"link";s:85:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/419316062/donorschoose_update.php";s:4:"guid";s:60:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/donorschoose_update.php";s:8:"category";s:4:"Blog";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:16:52 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:60:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/donorschoose_update.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1081:"

Just an update on the DonorsChoose drive for this year. I've removed some funded challenges from my drive, and added a whole lot more. In general they're either bioscience related, or, they're projects from really poor schools. This year I haven't raised much money through my drive, though some of the other ScienceBlogs are doing really well on the Leaderboard. Obviously "winning" isn't that big of a deal here, but both years this weblog's challenges have finished out really strong, so I'm not too worried....

(shout out to those who gave early!)

";}i:7;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:22:"The Adaptive Landscape";s:11:"description";s:747:"
AdLandscape.jpg
Image credit

A clarification (always needed!) of some issues in regards to Sewall Wright's conception of an adaptive landscape....

Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:88:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/418787612/the_adaptive_landscape.php";s:4:"guid";s:63:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/the_adaptive_landscape.php";s:8:"category";s:9:"Evolution";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:48:33 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:63:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/the_adaptive_landscape.php";}s:7:"summary";s:747:"
AdLandscape.jpg
Image credit

A clarification (always needed!) of some issues in regards to Sewall Wright's conception of an adaptive landscape....

Read the comments on this post...";}i:8;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:29:"John Hawks rebuts Steve Jones";s:11:"description";s:952:"

John Hawks succinctly responds to Steve Jones' argument that evolution is ending. Nothing surprising, but a very tight and accessible exposition.

Related: Evolution, why it still happens (in pictures) and No Virginia, evolution isn't ending.

Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:95:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/417941765/john_hawks_rebuts_steve_jones.php";s:4:"guid";s:70:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/john_hawks_rebuts_steve_jones.php";s:8:"category";s:8:"Genetics";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:11:45 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:70:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/john_hawks_rebuts_steve_jones.php";}s:7:"summary";s:952:"

John Hawks succinctly responds to Steve Jones' argument that evolution is ending. Nothing surprising, but a very tight and accessible exposition.

Related: Evolution, why it still happens (in pictures) and No Virginia, evolution isn't ending.

Read the comments on this post...";}i:9;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:58:"Professionals &rarr Democrat; businessmen &rarr Republican";s:11:"description";s:1108:"

Follow up to The executive class supports John McCain, see What your work is and how you vote:

Professionals (doctors, lawyers, and so forth) and routine white collar workers (clerks, etc.) used to support the Republicans more than the national average, but over the past half-century they have gradually moved through the center and now strongly support the Democrats. Business owners have moved in the opposite direction, from close to the national average to being staunch Republicans; and skilled and unskilled workers have moved from strong Democratic support to near the middle.

Please see the original post for an illuminating chart....

Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:96:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/417941766/professionals_swing_democrat_b.php";s:4:"guid";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/professionals_swing_democrat_b.php";s:8:"category";s:7:"Culture";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:05:03 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/professionals_swing_democrat_b.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1108:"

Follow up to The executive class supports John McCain, see What your work is and how you vote:

Professionals (doctors, lawyers, and so forth) and routine white collar workers (clerks, etc.) used to support the Republicans more than the national average, but over the past half-century they have gradually moved through the center and now strongly support the Democrats. Business owners have moved in the opposite direction, from close to the national average to being staunch Republicans; and skilled and unskilled workers have moved from strong Democratic support to near the middle.

Please see the original post for an illuminating chart....

Read the comments on this post...";}i:10;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:40:"The executive class supports John McCain";s:11:"description";s:2614:"

A survey of 751 CEOs shows that 80% support John McCain while 20% support Barack Obama. Remember, wealthier white people still tilt Republican. That being said, I think there is something to the dichotomy between professional class vs. business class. The former are affluent and educated, but may be on career tracks where regulatory constraints on labor mitigate capitalist competition (e.g., lawyers, doctors and other licensed and certified professionals). In other words, their affluence is not tied to market conditions in a 1:1 manner, and a non-trivial proportion of their income might be derived from government sources either directly or indirectly (i.e., employment in government or through reimbursement via government programs). There simply aren't enormous gains on increased deregulation in many professions (in fact, deregulation by repealing the licensing powers of the ABA and AMA would probably immediately reduce wages because of the influx of labor competition!). In contrast, the business class may see enormous gains through deregulation because the raison d'être of their occupations is to increase profits to the total exclusion of non-market forces. The practice of law or medicine may make an individual relatively wealthy (though the mean income of doctors and lawyers is far higher than their median), but the professions have non-remunerative ideals. See this post on Andrew Gelman's site for more.

Also, since I to tell readers to back up their opinions with some data and do their due diligence (after all, your unsupported opinions are really worthless to me, I can find plenty at the local Starbucks!), I went to Fund Race 2008 and looked to see how various professions gave politically. Since this is a Democrat year I suspect there's a little more tilt in that direction than usual, but focus on the difference between CEOs and all the upper middle class professions....

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:96:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/417807643/the_executive_class_supports_j.php";s:4:"guid";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/the_executive_class_supports_j.php";s:8:"category";s:7:"Culture";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:24:01 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/the_executive_class_supports_j.php";}s:7:"summary";s:2614:"

A survey of 751 CEOs shows that 80% support John McCain while 20% support Barack Obama. Remember, wealthier white people still tilt Republican. That being said, I think there is something to the dichotomy between professional class vs. business class. The former are affluent and educated, but may be on career tracks where regulatory constraints on labor mitigate capitalist competition (e.g., lawyers, doctors and other licensed and certified professionals). In other words, their affluence is not tied to market conditions in a 1:1 manner, and a non-trivial proportion of their income might be derived from government sources either directly or indirectly (i.e., employment in government or through reimbursement via government programs). There simply aren't enormous gains on increased deregulation in many professions (in fact, deregulation by repealing the licensing powers of the ABA and AMA would probably immediately reduce wages because of the influx of labor competition!). In contrast, the business class may see enormous gains through deregulation because the raison d'être of their occupations is to increase profits to the total exclusion of non-market forces. The practice of law or medicine may make an individual relatively wealthy (though the mean income of doctors and lawyers is far higher than their median), but the professions have non-remunerative ideals. See this post on Andrew Gelman's site for more.

Also, since I to tell readers to back up their opinions with some data and do their due diligence (after all, your unsupported opinions are really worthless to me, I can find plenty at the local Starbucks!), I went to Fund Race 2008 and looked to see how various professions gave politically. Since this is a Democrat year I suspect there's a little more tilt in that direction than usual, but focus on the difference between CEOs and all the upper middle class professions....

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...";}i:11;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:36:"Mars Science Laboratory on schedule!";s:11:"description";s:1274:"
mars600.jpg
Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

I rarely post anything on space because I really don't know much more than the average reader of this weblog; no value-add from me. But yesterday I ran across an article which reported the financial overruns in the Mars Science Laboratory project. Today NASA said that the project will launch on schedule. It seems that to make this work they'll have to ax some other missions, though they're putting a happy-face on their claims today (as if the money will magically appear in these strained financial times!).

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:96:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/417466134/mars_science_laboratory_on_sch.php";s:4:"guid";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/mars_science_laboratory_on_sch.php";s:8:"category";s:5:"Space";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:15:16 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:71:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/mars_science_laboratory_on_sch.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1274:"
mars600.jpg
Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

I rarely post anything on space because I really don't know much more than the average reader of this weblog; no value-add from me. But yesterday I ran across an article which reported the financial overruns in the Mars Science Laboratory project. Today NASA said that the project will launch on schedule. It seems that to make this work they'll have to ax some other missions, though they're putting a happy-face on their claims today (as if the money will magically appear in these strained financial times!).

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...";}i:12;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:22:"More fat is less food?";s:11:"description";s:725:"

How Fatty Foods Curb Hunger:

Fatty foods may not be the healthiest diet choice, but those rich in unsaturated fats - such as avocados, nuts and olive oil - have been found to play a pivotal role in sending this important message to your brain: stop eating, you're full.

The broad point is probably known to you, but read the whole press release, as there's more biochemical detail....

Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:87:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/416485383/more_fat_is_less_food.php";s:4:"guid";s:62:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/more_fat_is_less_food.php";s:8:"category";s:7:"Culture";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:32:32 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:62:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/more_fat_is_less_food.php";}s:7:"summary";s:725:"

How Fatty Foods Curb Hunger:

Fatty foods may not be the healthiest diet choice, but those rich in unsaturated fats - such as avocados, nuts and olive oil - have been found to play a pivotal role in sending this important message to your brain: stop eating, you're full.

The broad point is probably known to you, but read the whole press release, as there's more biochemical detail....

Read the comments on this post...";}i:13;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:40:"Human behavior; no more models please!!!";s:11:"description";s:1213:"

There's a new paper out which models human behavioral ecology, Dynamics of Alliance Formation and the Egalitarian Revolution. Anthropology.net has a good review, so I'll just point you there. I was going to read this paper, and a few others on models of human group dynamics...but lately, I've been wondering, aren't there enough models now??? It seems like there is a large sample space of models which can generate a set of testable predictions. Perhaps it is time to catch up on data and experiment and hold off on more model generation? I'll probably keep reading these papers...but of late I've started to get the feeling that without more data the task of understanding human behavioral history is Sisyphean.

Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:95:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/416106478/human_behavior_no_more_models.php";s:4:"guid";s:70:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/human_behavior_no_more_models.php";s:8:"category";s:7:"Culture";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:07:40 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:70:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/human_behavior_no_more_models.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1213:"

There's a new paper out which models human behavioral ecology, Dynamics of Alliance Formation and the Egalitarian Revolution. Anthropology.net has a good review, so I'll just point you there. I was going to read this paper, and a few others on models of human group dynamics...but lately, I've been wondering, aren't there enough models now??? It seems like there is a large sample space of models which can generate a set of testable predictions. Perhaps it is time to catch up on data and experiment and hold off on more model generation? I'll probably keep reading these papers...but of late I've started to get the feeling that without more data the task of understanding human behavioral history is Sisyphean.

Read the comments on this post...";}i:14;a:8:{s:5:"title";s:48:"The Transparent Society makes religion obsolete?";s:11:"description";s:1746:"

The Origin and Evolution of Religious Prosociality:

We examine empirical evidence for religious prosociality, the hypothesis that religions facilitate costly behaviors that benefit other people. Although sociological surveys reveal an association between self-reports of religiosity and prosociality, experiments measuring religiosity and actual prosocial behavior suggest that this association emerges primarily in contexts where reputational concerns are heightened. Experimentally induced religious thoughts reduce rates of cheating and increase altruistic behavior among anonymous strangers. Experiments demonstrate an association between apparent profession of religious devotion and greater trust. Cross-cultural evidence suggests an association between the cultural presence of morally concerned deities and large group size in humans. We synthesize converging evidence from various fields for religious prosociality, address its specific boundary conditions, and point to unresolved questions and novel predictions.

Ron Bailey at Reason has an article up, Does Religion Make People Nicer?, which ruminates on the implications of the above paper. He concludes:

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...";s:4:"link";s:95:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/gnxp/~3/415563520/the_transparent_society_makes.php";s:4:"guid";s:70:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/the_transparent_society_makes.php";s:8:"category";s:7:"Culture";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:58:08 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:70:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/10/the_transparent_society_makes.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1746:"

The Origin and Evolution of Religious Prosociality:

We examine empirical evidence for religious prosociality, the hypothesis that religions facilitate costly behaviors that benefit other people. Although sociological surveys reveal an association between self-reports of religiosity and prosociality, experiments measuring religiosity and actual prosocial behavior suggest that this association emerges primarily in contexts where reputational concerns are heightened. Experimentally induced religious thoughts reduce rates of cheating and increase altruistic behavior among anonymous strangers. Experiments demonstrate an association between apparent profession of religious devotion and greater trust. Cross-cultural evidence suggests an association between the cultural presence of morally concerned deities and large group size in humans. We synthesize converging evidence from various fields for religious prosociality, address its specific boundary conditions, and point to unresolved questions and novel predictions.

Ron Bailey at Reason has an article up, Does Religion Make People Nicer?, which ruminates on the implications of the above paper. He concludes:

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...";}}s:7:"channel";a:10:{s:5:"title";s:15:"Gene Expression";s:4:"link";s:29:"http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/";s:11:"description";s:57:"Human evolution, genetics, genomics and their interstices";s:8:"language";s:2:"en";s:9:"copyright";s:14:"Copyright 2008";s:13:"lastbuilddate";s:31:"Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:43:41 -0500";s:9:"generator";s:43:"http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.35";s:4:"docs";s:37:"http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss";s:10:"feedburner";a:2:{s:14:"emailserviceid";s:6:"282603";s:18:"feedburnerhostname";s:25:"http://www.feedburner.com";}s:7:"tagline";s:57:"Human evolution, genetics, genomics and their interstices";}s:9:"textinput";a:0:{}s:5:"image";a:0:{}s:9:"feed_type";s:3:"RSS";s:12:"feed_version";s:3:"2.0";s:5:"stack";a:0:{}s:9:"inchannel";b:0;s:6:"initem";b:0;s:9:"incontent";b:0;s:11:"intextinput";b:0;s:7:"inimage";b:0;s:13:"current_field";s:0:"";s:17:"current_namespace";b:0;s:5:"ERROR";s:0:"";s:19:"_CONTENT_CONSTRUCTS";a:6:{i:0;s:7:"content";i:1;s:7:"summary";i:2;s:4:"info";i:3;s:5:"title";i:4;s:7:"tagline";i:5;s:9:"copyright";}s:13:"last_modified";s:31:"Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:05:27 GMT ";s:4:"etag";s:29:"U1RvHcoyfPThyPUypqgn7EaP1Yw ";}