scholarly journals New thinking: the evolution of human cognition

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1599) ◽  
pp. 2091-2096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Heyes
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
New Thinking ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Research ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Vast Range

Humans are animals that specialize in thinking and knowing, and our extraordinary cognitive abilities have transformed every aspect of our lives. In contrast to our chimpanzee cousins and Stone Age ancestors, we are complex political, economic, scientific and artistic creatures, living in a vast range of habitats, many of which are our own creation. Research on the evolution of human cognition asks what types of thinking make us such peculiar animals, and how they have been generated by evolutionary processes. New research in this field looks deeper into the evolutionary history of human cognition, and adopts a more multi-disciplinary approach than earlier ‘Evolutionary Psychology’. It is informed by comparisons between humans and a range of primate and non-primate species, and integrates findings from anthropology, archaeology, economics, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, philosophy and psychology. Using these methods, recent research reveals profound commonalities, as well striking differences, between human and non-human minds, and suggests that the evolution of human cognition has been much more gradual and incremental than previously assumed. It accords crucial roles to cultural evolution, techno-social co-evolution and gene–culture co-evolution. These have produced domain-general developmental processes with extraordinary power—power that makes human cognition, and human lives, unique.

The Rhetoric of Informational Molecules: Authority and Promises in the Early Study of Molecular Evolution

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edna Suárez Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
History Of ◽  
Political Dimensions ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
New Research

ArgumentThis paper explores the connection between the epistemic and the “political” dimensions of the metaphor of information during the early days of the study of Molecular Evolution. While preserving some of the meanings already documented in the history of molecular biology, the metaphor acquired a new, powerful use as a substitute for “history.” A rhetorical analysis of Emilé Zuckerkandl's paper, “Molecules as Documents of Evolutionary History,” highlights the ways in which epistemic claims on the validity and superiority of molecular evidence for evolution were intimately connected with authority issues in evolutionary biology. The debate is situated within the framework of the battle for resources between traditional evolutionists and molecular biologists at the beginning of the 1960s. The architects of evolutionary synthesis questioned the idea that molecular characters constitute “cleaner” and “more direct” evidence of evolution. Nevertheless, the information discourse constituted a productive space for the development of a new research program that, paradoxically, has made explicit the limitations of the information metaphor in reconstructing life's history.

scholarly journals Molecular evolutionary analysis of human primary microcephaly genes

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nashaiman Pervaiz ◽  
Hongen Kang ◽  
Yiming Bao ◽  
Amir Ali Abbasi
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Evolutionary Analysis ◽  
Australopithecus Afarensis ◽  
Primary Microcephaly ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background There has been a rapid increase in the brain size relative to body size during mammalian evolutionary history. In particular, the enlarged and globular brain is the most distinctive anatomical feature of modern humans that set us apart from other extinct and extant primate species. Genetic basis of large brain size in modern humans has largely remained enigmatic. Genes associated with the pathological reduction of brain size (primary microcephaly-MCPH) have the characteristics and functions to be considered ideal candidates to unravel the genetic basis of evolutionary enlargement of human brain size. For instance, the brain size of microcephaly patients is similar to the brain size of Pan troglodyte and the very early hominids like the Sahelanthropus tchadensis and Australopithecus afarensis. Results The present study investigates the molecular evolutionary history of subset of autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH) genes; CEP135, ZNF335, PHC1, SASS6, CDK6, MFSD2A, CIT, and KIF14 across 48 mammalian species. Codon based substitutions site analysis indicated that ZNF335, SASS6, CIT, and KIF14 have experienced positive selection in eutherian evolutionary history. Estimation of divergent selection pressure revealed that almost all of the MCPH genes analyzed in the present study have maintained their functions throughout the history of placental mammals. Contrary to our expectations, human-specific adoptive evolution was not detected for any of the MCPH genes analyzed in the present study. Conclusion Based on these data it can be inferred that protein-coding sequence of MCPH genes might not be the sole determinant of increase in relative brain size during primate evolutionary history.

Adaptation

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan B. Losos
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Central Focus ◽  
History Of ◽  
Definition Of

Adaptation—the fit of organisms to their environments—has been a central focus in scientific research for centuries, predating even the rise of evolutionary biology. At its core, the study of adaptation is the study of natural selection—how is it that populations become so well suited to survive and reproduce in the environment in which they occur? Nonetheless, the topic of adaptation has many wrinkles and nuances. Even the definition of adaptation is not agreed on by all. The manner in which adaptations evolve (or fail to evolve) and the consequences they have for the evolutionary history of a lineage have been the subjects of considerable scientific research and discussion for more than a century.

scholarly journals Tribalism Is Human Nature

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 587-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory J. Clark ◽  
Brittany S. Liu ◽  
Bo M. Winegard ◽  
Peter H. Ditto
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Partisan Bias ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Group Loyalty ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Common ◽  
Political Spectrum

Humans evolved in the context of intense intergroup competition, and groups comprised of loyal members more often succeeded than groups comprised of nonloyal members. Therefore, selective pressures have sculpted human minds to be tribal, and group loyalty and concomitant cognitive biases likely exist in all groups. Modern politics is one of the most salient forms of modern coalitional conflict and elicits substantial cognitive biases. The common evolutionary history of liberals and conservatives gives little reason to expect protribe biases to be higher on one side of the political spectrum than the other. This evolutionarily plausible null hypothesis has been supported by recent research. In a recent meta-analysis, liberals and conservatives showed similar levels of partisan bias, and several protribe cognitive tendencies often ascribed to conservatives (e.g., intolerance toward dissimilar other people) were found in similar degrees in liberals. We conclude that tribal bias is a natural and nearly ineradicable feature of human cognition and that no group—not even one’s own—is immune.

Biological evolution

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Briggs ◽  
Hans Halvorson ◽  
Andrew Steane
Keyword(s):  
Design Education ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Living Things ◽  
History Of ◽  
Informed Opinion ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Insight Into

The chapter discusses the history of life on Earth, and the lessons to be learned from the neo-Darwinian synthesis of evolutionary biology. The long and complex sequence of events in the evolutionary history of life on Earth requires considered interpretation. The neo-Darwinian synthesis is well-supported by evidence and gives rich insight into this process, but does not itself furnish a complete explanation or understanding of living things. This is because a process of exploration can only explore; it cannot fully dictate and can only partially constrain what type of thing will be found. What is found is constrained by other considerations, such as what is possible, and what can make sense. A brief critique of some of Richard Dawkins’ work is given, and also of the movement known as ‘Intelligent Design’. Education policy is well served by a fair appraisal of informed opinion in this area.

scholarly journals Terrestriality and bacterial transfer: A comparative study of gut microbiomes in sympatric Malagasy mammals

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda C. Perofsky ◽  
Rebecca J. Lewis ◽  
Lauren Ancel Meyers
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Horizontal Transmission ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Shared History ◽  
Ecological Predictors ◽  
Captive Populations ◽  
History Of ◽  
Lemur Species

AbstractThe gut microbiomes of mammals appear to mirror their hosts’ phylogeny, suggesting a shared history of co-speciation. Yet, much of this evidence stems from comparative studies of distinct wild or captive populations that lack data for disentangling the relative influences of shared phylogeny and environment. Here, we present phylogenetic and multivariate analyses of gut microbiomes from six sympatric (i.e., co-occurring) mammal species inhabiting a 1-km2 area in western Madagascar—three lemur and three non-primate species—that consider genetic, dietary, and ecological predictors of microbiome functionality and composition. Host evolutionary history, indeed, appears to drive gut microbial patterns among distantly related species. However, we also find that diet—reliance on leaves versus fruit—is the best predictor of microbiome similarity among closely related lemur species, and that host substrate preference—ground versus tree— constrains horizontal transmission via incidental contact with feces, with arboreal species harboring far more distinct communities than those of their terrestrial and semi-terrestrial counterparts.

Cooperation in primates

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Albiach-Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Observational Studies ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Nonhuman Primates ◽  
Cooperative Behavior ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Methodological Difficulties

Observational studies have suggested that some nonhuman primates’ cooperative behavior may rely on their capacity to share goals and understand the role of their partners. Experimental studies have tried to find evidence for this under controlled conditions, investigating aspects like the degree of organization in different primate species and the individuals’ capacity to recognize and choose good partners, switch roles with them, and care about their outcomes. Often, the results have been mixed. Partly, this is because of the methodological difficulties inherent to empirical research. In this paper, I offer a critical, methodological review of the experimental studies done in the last years on nonhuman primates’ cooperation, I discuss their findings, and suggest possible solutions to some of the procedural problems. Hopefully, this will contribute to improve the design of future studies and therefore our knowledge about the evolutionary history of cooperation.

scholarly journals Evolutionary history of an Alpine archaeognath (Machilis pallida) – insights from different variant types

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlene Haider ◽  
Martin P. Schilling ◽  
Markus H. Moest ◽  
Florian M. Steiner ◽  
Birgit C. Schlick-Steiner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Organization ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
De Novo Transcriptome ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Nuclear Variation ◽  
Genetic Signatures

AbstractReconstruction of species histories is a central aspect of evolutionary biology. Patterns of genetic variation within and among populations can be leveraged to elucidate evolutionary processes and demographic histories. However, interpreting genetic signatures and unraveling the contributing processes can be challenging, in particular for non-model organisms with complex reproductive modes and genome organization. One way forward is the combined consideration of patterns revealed by different molecular markers (nuclear vs. mitochondrial) and types of variants (common vs. rare) that differ in their age, mode and rate of evolution. Here, we applied this approach to Machilis pallida (Archaeognatha), an Alpine jumping bristletail considered parthenogenetic and triploid. We generated de-novo transcriptome and mitochondrial assemblies to obtain high-density data to investigate patterns of mitochondrial and common and rare nuclear variation in 17 M. pallida individuals sampled across the Alps from all known populations. We find that the different variant types capture distinct aspects of the evolutionary history and discuss the observed patterns in the context of parthenogenesis, polyploidy and survival during glaciation. This study highlights the potential of different variant types to unravel complex evolutionary scenarios and the suitability of M. pallida and the genus Machilis as a study system for the evolution of sexual strategies and polyploidization during environmental change. We also emphasize the need for further research which will be stimulated and facilitated by these newly generated resources and insights.

Human Evolution in Asia: Taking Stock and Looking Forward

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang-Hee Lee ◽  
Autumn Hudock
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
History Of ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Critical Understanding ◽  
New Research ◽  
Complex Evolutionary History

We review the state of paleoanthropology research in Asia. We survey the fossil record, articulate the current understanding, and delineate the points of contention. Although Asia received less attention than Europe and Africa did in the second half of the twentieth century, an increase in reliably dated fossil materials and the advances in genetics have fueled new research. The long and complex evolutionary history of humans in Asia throughout the Pleistocene can be explained by a balance of mechanisms, between gene flow among different populations and continuity of regional ancestry. This pattern is reflected in fossil morphology and paleogenomics. Critical understanding of the sociocultural forces that shaped the history of hominin fossil research in Asia is important in charting the way forward. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Anthropology, Volume 50 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Psychological Disorder ◽  
Evolutionary Medicine ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
Major Organ ◽  
History Of ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions ◽  
Diabetes And Obesity

Medicine is grounded in the natural sciences, among which biology stands out with regard to the understanding of human physiology and conditions that cause dysfunction. Ironically, evolutionary biology is a relatively disregarded field. One reason for this omission is that evolution is deemed a slow process. Indeed, macroanatomical features of our species have changed very little in the last 300,000 years. A more detailed look, however, reveals that novel ecological contingencies, partly in relation to cultural evolution, have brought about subtle changes pertaining to metabolism and immunology, including adaptations to dietary innovations, as well as adaptations to exposure to novel pathogens. Rapid pathogen evolution and evolution of cancer cells cause major problems for the immune system to find adequate responses. Moreover, many adaptations to past ecologies have turned into risk factors for somatic disease and psychological disorder in our modern world (i.e. mismatch), among which epidemics of autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity, as well as several forms of cancer stand out. In addition, depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions add to the list. The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine is a compilation of up-to-date insights into the evolutionary history of ourselves as a species, and how and why our evolved design may convey vulnerability to disease. Written in a classic textbook style, emphasising the physiology and pathophysiology of all major organ systems, the book addresses students as well as scholars in the fields of medicine, biology, anthropology, and psychology.

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