Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence Keel
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Epistemic Authority ◽  
Theoretical Ground ◽  
Human Origins ◽  
Out Of Africa ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Single Set

The Introduction lays out the theoretical stakes of the work as a whole. It opens with a critical evaluation of the work of acclaimed geneticist Spencer Wells, whose 2002 publication The Journey of Man has helped frame the now-standard interpretation of human evolution and migration from a single set of ancestors out of Africa. Wells’s account of human evolution reveals the epistemic authority that modern genetics has obtained on the question of race and human beginnings. It is argued that contemporary biologists inherited this authority, however, from their Christian intellectual ancestors, who provided modern scientists with a cache of interpretive tools and assumptions that proved useful for narrating the development of human life and constructing theories of racial difference believed to supersede all previous accounts of human origins. After laying out the theoretical ground to be covered, this introductory chapter provides an overview of the chapters that follow.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rizwana Shamshad
Keyword(s):  
West Bengal ◽  
And Migration

This introductory chapter sets the problem, provides a preview of nationalist thought in India and migration from Bangladesh and various nationalist thoughts. The politicization of migration of Bangladeshis into India operates at the intersection of religion, ethnicity, and discourses on nationalism in India. For the Hindu nationalists operating at the All-India level Muslims are ‘infiltrators’ and Hindus are ‘refugees’, for the Assamese ethnic nationalist both Hindu and Muslim Bengalis are ‘foreigners’. For the Bengalis in West Bengal, the ethnicity Bengaliness comes to the fore. The study sets three questions for three states. The chapter discusses these questions and the methodology to derive the answers. The chapter further discusses the field cities and the interviewees.

Biology and Behaviour in Human Evolution

1991 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phyllis C. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Human Behaviour ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Human Origins ◽  
Biological Perspective ◽  
Patterns And Processes ◽  
Reductionist Approach

Of the diverse approaches to understanding patterns and processes in human evolution, a focus on the biology of behaviour using principles derived from the non-human primates may have some utility for archaeologists. This article seeks to outline some biologically-based areas that could prove fruitful in exploring the origins of human behaviour within the archaeological record. It attempts to initiate a dialogue between biologists, even with their limited understanding of the problems facing those working with human origins, and archaeologists, in the hope that this dialogue will move beyond a simple reductionist approach towards the goal of integrating behaviour into a more sophisticated biological perspective.

The Anthropic Principle

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-90
Author(s):  
Karl W. Giberson ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Anthropic Principle ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Human Origins ◽  
Creation Story ◽  
Creation Myth ◽  
Biological Explanations ◽  
The Universe

The Anthropic Principle suggests that the universe may have been designed for human life. This anthropocentric, anti-Copernican, notion elicits a variety of responses from scientists, including some elaborate attempts to invalidate it by trying to show that there may be an infinity of alternative universes. These attempts may be challenged as unreasonably speculative and presumptive. What emerges is the suggestion that cosmology may at last be in possession of some raw material for a postmodern creation myth. If the Anthropic Principle can be integrated with biological explanations of human origins, and the result joined to the traditional Biblical Creation story, what emerges is a possible recovery of a religiously traditional, yet scientifically coherent, creation story for our generation.

MONITORING HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT CONDITIONS IN RURAL AREAS

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2384-2369
Author(s):  
V.G. Zakshevskiy ◽  
◽  
Z.V. Gavrilova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Main Stage ◽  
Human Capital Development ◽  
Integral System ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Capital Development

The article discusses the problems that arise when monitoring the conditions for the development of human capital in rural areas, since, despite the sufficient number of works on monitoring the human capital in rural areas or the agricultural sector, the integral system of quantitative socio-economic indicators for assessing the human capital development conditions in rural areas remains poorly studied. First of all, a basic concept of monitoring is given, as well as an applied concept - monitoring the human capital development conditions in rural areas, which is understood as a system of constant monitoring, collection, registration, storage and analysis of several key parameters that assess the conditions for the formation and development of congenital and accumulated physical, mental and personal abilities and qualities of the population of rural areas, as well as acquiring knowledge and skills that can be used by them in order to deliver economic income or social effect. The monitoring process is presented in detail in the relationship of this category with concepts close to it (diagnostics, as a preliminary stage, monitoring as the main stage, appropriate policy development, as the final stage). The diversity of monitoring indicators used in the social sphere of human life is reflected: for rural areas, for the agrarian sphere, for the regional socio-economic system, for the development of municipalities' social and labor systems, for social factors of the region's development, etc. The authors' idea of an integral system of indicators for monitoring the human capital development conditions in rural areas is given, which is a combination of six blocks: health care, education, culture and sports, demography and migration, infrastructure, as well as socio-economic conditions.

scholarly journals Contamination of Asian herbal drugs : Need for its critical evaluation

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.K. Gupta ◽  
G. Prasad ◽  
A.K. Chopra ◽  
D.R. Khanna
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Medical Science ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Chemical Components ◽  
Severe Adverse Effect ◽  
World Population ◽  
Herbal Drugs ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Dual Action

Herbal drugs have been used as remedies for the treatment of large number of humans, ailments since ancient times as the traditional medicine system; India has a glorious past, having first documented record of fully developed medical science known as Ayurveda written by several ancient Rishi’s. Major groups of indigenous system of medicine are based on herbal drugs. A survey made by WHO indicated that about 80% of the world population relies on herbal drugs. Herbal drugs are becoming more popularized and important even in the developednations with hope of their non-toxicity and may play a role of substitute to overcome the problems of multi drug resistant pathogens. Cultivation of drug plants has been started in large scale without considering the land quality and in certain cases irrigation with waste water. Application of different fungicides, pesticides in that specific field or in neighboring fields may be directly deposited superficially or may be absorbed by the plant system. Therefore in the present situation possibilities of the Asian herbal drugs, contaminated with large number of toxic components cannot be ignored which may severely hurt human life in place of healing or curing.These contaminants may be either alone or in combination and may be originated intrinsically, extrinsically and deliberately. Certain contaminants may be highly toxic and may cause severe adverse effect in the human system. Some of the important contaminants are the heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, copper and pesticides. Adulteration of modern drugs to enhance drug potency and heterogenous microbial population including human pathogens may contaminate both raw and powdered herbal drugs. Among these contaminants, microbial contamination seems more severe and may be due to their dual action on the drug i.e. utilization of medicinally important chemical components as nutrients and in certain cases by producing certain mycotoxins, which may be even carcinogenic under certain conditions . Critical evaluation of both raw and powdered herbal drugs for contaminants is the urgent need of the time in order to provide safety measures in herbal health care medicine.

scholarly journals Lost Civilizations: The Secret Histories and Suppressed Technologies of the Ancients by Jim Willis

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 608-613
Author(s):  
John B. Alexander
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Conventional Wisdom ◽  
Complex Organizations ◽  
Remote Location ◽  
Out Of Africa

Lost Civilizations is at once intriguing but also challenging to all conventional wisdom. Perhaps that is as it should be and Willis certainly created an interesting compendium of mysterious archeological events combined with a generous exploration of mythology. Readers of the SSE Journal should know I am not a fan of the “Out of Africa” theory. There have been too many recent discoveries made to support the notion that human life began in a single remote location. We can think of the discovery of the Denisovan that interbred with hominids that did migrate from Africa.  What Willis repeatedly points to is apparent DNA anomalies in which samples indicate connections between groups for which there is no logical explanation.  As an example, there are traces in Australia that are commensurate with those from South America that must have occurred long before any known contact had happened. While Willis would agree, Lost Civilizations suggests the timelines may be off by many thousands of years, a concept that is hard to integrate into demonstrable history.  If somebody built things, where did such previously unknown groups come from?  It is in questioning that Willis adds significant value.  What do we mean by “lost civilizations” is basic to the book?  But more fundamentally he asks how is “civilization” defined?  There are multiple definitions and he states that what it means to be civilized does not equate to the organization of villages or cities. Further, if civilizations were “lost” where did they come from and where did they go?  How did seemingly thriving communities suddenly cease to exist?  Then, why is it that some societies not only physically disappear, but also seem to be erased from the memories of survivors or other groups that may have interacted with them. His examples of lost groups abound and signal a warning to modern society.  If previous complex organizations disappeared, often with no immediate trace, could the same thing happen to our current civilization.

scholarly journals Human Pelvis and Long Bones Reveal Differential Preservation of Ancient Population History and Migration Out of Africa

Human Biology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lia Betti ◽  
Noreen Von Cramon-Taubadel ◽  
Stephen J. Lycett
Keyword(s):  
Population History ◽  
Long Bones ◽  
Ancient Population ◽  
Out Of Africa ◽  
And Migration

Woman the Gatherer

2018 ◽  
pp. 133-142
Author(s):  
Erika Lorraine Milam
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Human Origins ◽  
Male Authority

This chapter considers the research of women anthropologists during this period. It shows how many anthropologists had fought to refute the picture of universal male authority implied by common narratives of human evolution were women, often at the very beginning of what turned out to be long, notable careers. Their research gave fuller form to a rhetorically powerful alternative to Man the Hunter in reconstructions of human origins—Woman the Gatherer. Like her partner, Woman the Gatherer found intellectual support in research on long-extinct human ancestors, studies of human cultures today, and animal behavior, with a new emphasis on field research among primates.

Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette M. High
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Gold Rush ◽  
Asian Continent ◽  
Global Crisis ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Financial Investment ◽  
Life Itself ◽  
Spirit Beings ◽  
The Sacrifice

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the Mongolian gold rush. The gold rush, which has grown to become the largest ever on the Asian continent, involves major risks, perhaps even the sacrifice of human life itself. Although national and international commentators rejoice in Mongolia's immense mineral wealth, which is expected to help ease the global crisis in financial investment markets, gold is locally regarded as a volatile and inalienable material that is not readily exchangeable and commodifiable. In contrast to other kinds of metal, it is seen to retain strong ties to the landscape and its many spirit beings. Since these ties cannot easily be severed and are particularly strong at the point of extraction, the fortune of gold is inseparable from the fears that surround mining.

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