scholarly journals A worldwide view of matriliny: using cross-cultural analyses to shed light on human kinship systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1780) ◽  
pp. 20180077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Surowiec ◽  
Kate T. Snyder ◽  
Nicole Creanza
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Subsistence Strategy ◽  
Wealth Transfer ◽  
Single Region ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Shed Light

Although matriliny and matrilocality are relatively rare in contemporary human populations, these female-based descent and residence systems are present in different cultural contexts and across the globe. Previous research has generated numerous hypotheses about which cultural traits are associated with the stability or loss of matrilineal descent. In addition, several studies have examined matrilineal descent with phylogenetic analyses; however, the use of language phylogenies has restricted these analyses to comparisons within a single language family, often confined to a single continent. Cross-cultural comparisons are particularly informative when they account for the relationships between widely distributed populations, as opposed to treating each population as an independent sample or focusing on a single region. Here, we study the evolution of descent systems on a worldwide scale. First, we test for significant associations between matriliny and numerous cultural traits that have been theoretically associated with its stability or loss, such as subsistence strategy, animal domestication, mating system, residence pattern, wealth transfer and property succession. In addition, by combining genetic and linguistic information to build a global supertree that includes 16 matrilineal populations, we also perform phylogenetically controlled analyses to assess the patterns of correlated evolution between descent and other traits: for example, does a change in subsistence strategy generally predict a shift in the rules of descent, or do these transitions happen independently? These analyses enable a worldwide perspective on the pattern and process of the evolution of matriliny and matrilocality. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals’.

scholarly journals The uses and abuses of tree thinking in cultural evolution

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1828) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara L. Evans ◽  
Simon J. Greenhill ◽  
Joseph Watts ◽  
Johann-Mattis List ◽  
Carlos A. Botero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Tree Thinking ◽  
Phylogenetic Methods ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

Modern phylogenetic methods are increasingly being used to address questions about macro-level patterns in cultural evolution. These methods can illuminate the unobservable histories of cultural traits and identify the evolutionary drivers of trait change over time, but their application is not without pitfalls. Here, we outline the current scope of research in cultural tree thinking, highlighting a toolkit of best practices to navigate and avoid the pitfalls and ‘abuses' associated with their application. We emphasize two principles that support the appropriate application of phylogenetic methodologies in cross-cultural research: researchers should (1) draw on multiple lines of evidence when deciding if and which types of phylogenetic methods and models are suitable for their cross-cultural data, and (2) carefully consider how different cultural traits might have different evolutionary histories across space and time. When used appropriately phylogenetic methods can provide powerful insights into the processes of evolutionary change that have shaped the broad patterns of human history. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Foundations of cultural evolution'.

scholarly journals The disequilibrium of double descent: changing inheritance norms among Himba pastoralists

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1780) ◽  
pp. 20180072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke A. Scelza ◽  
Sean P. Prall ◽  
Nancy E. Levine
Keyword(s):  
Generational Differences ◽  
Current Practice ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Majority Culture ◽  
Female Autonomy ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Shed Light

Matrilineal systems in sub-Saharan Africa tend to co-occur with horticulture and are rare among pastoralists, with the causal arrow pointing from the introduction of cattle to the loss of matriliny. However, most work on this topic stems from either phylogenetic analyses or historical data. To better understand the shift from matrilineal to patrilineal inheritance that occurred among Bantu populations after the adoption of pastoralism, data from societies that are currently in transition are needed. Himba pastoralists, who practice ‘double descent’, may represent one such society. Using multi-generational ethnography and structured survey data, we describe current norms and preferences about inheritance, as well as associated norms related to female autonomy. We find that preferences for patrilineal inheritance are strong, despite the current practice of matrilineal cattle inheritance. We also find that a preference for patriliny predicts greater acceptance of norm violating behaviour favouring sons over nephews. Finally, we show that there are important generational differences in how men view women's autonomy, which are probably attributable to both changing norms about inheritance and exposure to majority-culture views on women's roles. Our data shed light on how systemic change like the shifts in descent reckoning that occurred during the Bantu expansion can occur. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals’.

scholarly journals The potential to infer the historical pattern of cultural macroevolution

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1828) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter Lukas ◽  
Mary Towner ◽  
Monique Borgerhoff Mulder
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Type I ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Phylogenetic Methods ◽  
History Of ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Type Ii Errors

Phylogenetic analyses increasingly take centre-stage in our understanding of the processes shaping patterns of cultural diversity and cultural evolution over time. Just as biologists explain the origins and maintenance of trait differences among organisms using phylogenetic methods, so anthropologists studying cultural macroevolutionary processes use phylogenetic methods to uncover the history of human populations and the dynamics of culturally transmitted traits. In this paper, we revisit concerns with the validity of these methods. Specifically, we use simulations to reveal how properties of the sample (size, missing data), properties of the tree (shape) and properties of the traits (rate of change, number of variants, transmission mode) might influence the inferences that can be drawn about trait distributions across a given phylogeny and the power to discern alternative histories. Our approach shows that in two example datasets specific combinations of properties of the sample, of the tree and of the trait can lead to potentially high rates of Type I and Type II errors. We offer this simulation tool to help assess the potential impact of this list of persistent perils in future cultural macroevolutionary work. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Foundations of cultural evolution’.

The sense of obligation is culturally modulated

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Bender
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Studies ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Target Article ◽  
Sense Of Obligation ◽  
Cross Cultural Studies

Abstract Tomasello argues in the target article that, in generalizing the concrete obligations originating from interdependent collaboration to one's entire cultural group, humans become “ultra-cooperators.” But are all human populations cooperative in similar ways? Based on cross-cultural studies and my own fieldwork in Polynesia, I argue that cooperation varies along several dimensions, and that the underlying sense of obligation is culturally modulated.

scholarly journals Forward Rate Bias in Developed and Developing Countries: More Risky Not Less Rational

Econometrics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Michael D. Goldberg ◽  
Olesia Kozlova ◽  
Deniz Ozabaci
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Forward Rate ◽  
Currency Markets ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Slope Coefficient ◽  
Break Points ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Widespread View ◽  
Shed Light

This paper examines the stability of the Bilson–Fama regression for a panel of 55 developed and developing countries. We find multiple break points for nearly every country in our panel. Subperiod estimates of the slope coefficient show a negative bias during some time periods and a positive bias during other time periods in nearly every country. The subperiod biases display two key patterns that shed light on the literature’s linear regression findings. The results point toward the importance of risk in currency markets. We find that risk is greater for developed country markets. The evidence undercuts the widespread view that currency returns are predictable or that developed country markets are less rational.

scholarly journals Nephromyces represents a diverse and novel lineage of the Apicomplexa that has retained apicoplasts

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio A Muñoz-Gómez ◽  
Keira Durnin ◽  
Laura Eme ◽  
Christopher Paight ◽  
Christopher E Lane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Style ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Biosynthetic Pathways ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sea Squirts ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Apicoplast Genome

Abstract A most interesting exception within the parasitic Apicomplexa is Nephromyces, an extracellular, probably mutualistic, endosymbiont found living inside molgulid ascidian tunicates (i.e., sea squirts). Even though Nephromyces is now known to be an apicomplexan, many other questions about its nature remain unanswered. To gain further insights into the biology and evolutionary history of this unusual apicomplexan, we aimed to (1) find the precise phylogenetic position of Nephromyces within the Apicomplexa, (2) search for the apicoplast genome of Nephromyces, and (3) infer the major metabolic pathways in the apicoplast of Nephromyces. To do this, we sequenced a metagenome and a metatranscriptome from the molgulid renal sac, the specialized habitat where Nephromyces thrives. Our phylogenetic analyses of conserved nucleus-encoded genes robustly suggest that Nephromyces is a novel lineage sister to the Hematozoa, which comprises both the Haemosporidia (e.g., Plasmodium) and the Piroplasmida (e.g., Babesia and Theileria). Furthermore, a survey of the renal sac metagenome revealed 13 small contigs that closely resemble the genomes of the non-photosynthetic reduced plastids, or apicoplasts, of other apicomplexans. We show that these apicoplast genomes correspond to a diverse set of most closely related but genetically divergent Nephromyces lineages that co-inhabit a single tunicate host. In addition, the apicoplast of Nephromyces appears to have retained all biosynthetic pathways inferred to have been ancestral to parasitic apicomplexans. Our results shed light on the evolutionary history of the only probably mutualistic apicomplexan known, Nephromyces, and provide context for a better understanding of its life style and intricate symbiosis.

What challenges and opportunities will lead to success?

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 631-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Costa ◽  
Mónica Montenegro ◽  
João Gomes
Keyword(s):  
International Economic ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Income Sources ◽  
Tourist Flows ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Shed Light

Purpose This paper aims to introduce the papers in this issue and explain the pertinence of the strategic question. Design/methodology/approach A brief context for the strategic question is provided, as well as the issue alignment and a content analysis of the papers selected. Findings From the analysis of the papers selected for this theme issue, it becomes clear that tourism has become one of the major players in international economic, social and technological sectors, while representing one of the main income sources for developed and developing countries. Originality/value The papers selected for this issue shed light on an important problem: increasing tourist flows and overtourism at some world top destinations.

The Languages of the northern sudan: an Historical perspective

1966 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce G. Trigger
Keyword(s):  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Linguistic Evidence ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
The Stability

Various theories have been proposed concerning the homeland of the Nubian languages. Current historical and linguistic evidence suggests that it was in Kordofan or Darfur and that Nubian first entered the middle reaches of the Nile between A.D. 200 and 500. There it replaced Meroitic, which appears to have been spoken in the area for a long time. Meroitic may, but has not yet been proved to be a language of the Eastern Sudanic group. If so, the persistence of many cultural traits in the Sudan may be correlated with the stability of the Eastern Sudanic-speakers in the same area.

scholarly journals The Uses and Abuses of Tree Thinking in Cultural Evolution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara Evans ◽  
Simon J. Greenhill ◽  
Joseph Watts ◽  
Johann-Mattis List ◽  
Carlos A. Botero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Tree Thinking ◽  
Phylogenetic Methods ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Lines Of Evidence ◽  
Over Time

Modern phylogenetic methods are increasingly being used to address questions about macro-level patterns in cultural evolution. These methods can illuminate the unobservable histories of cultural traits and identify the evolutionary drivers of trait-change over time, but their application is not without pitfalls. Here we outline the current scope of research in cultural tree thinking, highlighting a toolkit of best practices to navigate and avoid the pitfalls and ‘abuses’ associated with their application. We emphasise two principles that support the appropriate application of phylogenetic methodologies in cross-cultural research: researchers should (1) draw on multiple lines of evidence when deciding if and which types of phylogenetic methods and models are suitable for their cross-cultural data, and (2) carefully consider how different cultural traits might have different evolutionary histories across space and time. When used appropriately phylogenetic methods can provide powerful insights into the processes of evolutionary change that have shaped the broad patterns of human history.

scholarly journals Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Investigations of the Speciation and Reactivity of Deep Eutectic Electrolytes in Aluminum Batteries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Carrasco-Busturia ◽  
Steen Lysgaard ◽  
Piotr Jankowski ◽  
Tejs Vegge ◽  
Arghya Bhowmik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Ab Initio ◽  
Deep Eutectic Solvents ◽  
Ionic Species ◽  
Electrochemical Activity ◽  
Molecular Composition ◽  
Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Battery Anode

Deep eutectic solvents (DES) have emerged as an alternative for conventional ionic<br>liquids in aluminum batteries. Elucidating DES composition is fundamental to<br>understand aluminum electrodeposition in the battery anode. Despite numerous<br>experiemental efforts, the speciation of these DES remains elusive. This work shows<br>how \textit{Ab initio} molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations can shed light on the<br>molecular composition of DES. For the particular example of AlCl$_{3}$:urea, one of<br>the most popular DES, we carried out a systematic AIMD study, showing how an<br>excess of AlCl$_{3}$ in the AlCl$_{3}$:urea mixture promotes the stability of ionic<br>species vs neutral ones and also favors the reactivity in the system. These two facts<br>explain the experimentally observed enhanced electrochemical activity in salt-rich<br>DES. We also observe the transfer of simple $[$AlCl$_{x}$(urea)$_{y}]$ clusters<br>between different species in the liquid, giving rise to free $[$AlCl$_{4}]^{-}$ units. The<br>small size of these $[$AlCl$_{4}]^{-}$ units favors the transport of ionic species towards<br>the anode, facilitating the electrodeposition of aluminum.

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