Monthly Archives: March 2012

Speaking of human genetics…

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Adam Van Arsdale

From the AP (via the NY Times) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has thrown out a lower court ruling allowing human genes to be patented, a topic of enormous interest to cancer researchers, patients and drug makers. This will … Continue reading →

Posted in Genetics | Tagged | Comments Off on Speaking of human genetics…

DNAnthropology

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Adam Van Arsdale

Science News has a story by Robert Service and Elizabeth Pennisi on the latest breakthrough in DNA sequencing technology, nanopore sequencing. The technology is quite amazing: Since then scientists have figured out how to drive DNA through proteins with tiny … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Genetics | Tagged | Comments Off on DNAnthropology

Weekend wag the dog: 3/23/12

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Adam Van Arsdale

Here is Clifford out enjoying the botanical gardens on campus. Yesterday’s high (84F) was 35 degrees above the historical average high. Even the low temperature yesterday was two degrees above the normal high. As one person on the radio put … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments Off on Weekend wag the dog: 3/23/12

The missing fossils of Zhoukoudian

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Adam Van Arsdale

The site of Zhoukoudian, located SW of Beijing, is one of the most productive fossil localities in the history of the human fossil record. During the 1920s and 1930s excavations at several localities of the site yielded thousands of artifacts … Continue reading →

Posted in Fossils | Tagged , | Comments Off on The missing fossils of Zhoukoudian

Blow against education

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Adam Van Arsdale

The Tennessee legislature passed a bill yesterday (HB368) that will likely undermine the teaching of science, and evolution in particular, to Tennessee students. The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) has a statement condemning the bill’s passage, which they label … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Bioengineering, prehistory and futurology

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Adam Van Arsdale

John Hawks has an entertaining piece on Slate.com about the prospects for bioengineering a more sustainable humanity. But hunting big animals to extinction was not the only option. People in Mesopotamia, China, Mexico, and other places invented a new ecology, … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution | Tagged , | Comments Off on Bioengineering, prehistory and futurology

Classroom genetics

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Adam Van Arsdale

“clicking the agree button means you are ready and willing to be traumatized” Katie Topp, an undergraduate student at the University of Rhode Island, paraphrasing her teacher, Holly Dunsworth. Holly got funding to get her entire class genotyping services through … Continue reading →

Posted in Genetics, Teaching | Tagged | Comments Off on Classroom genetics

Weekend wag the dog: 3/17/12

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Adam Van Arsdale

In the spirit of acknowledging internet memes, I present the first weekly “weekend wag the dog” post, featuring pictures taken during the week’s many dog walks. For the inaugural post I have our new family dog, Clifford, just finishing his … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Weekend wag the dog: 3/17/12

Quote of the day

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Adam Van Arsdale

“Comparing Nariokotome only to humans and only to relative scales, while instructive, involves us in an endless series of “if thens” (e.g., Smith, 1993; S.L. Smith, 2004). Only by adding a comparison to our closest relatives (Table 10.1) do we … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Fossils | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Longlin fossils

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Adam Van Arsdale

I said in a post the other day that I am largely unsympathetic to arguments for excessive speciation throughout the Pleistocene. The news this week from “Red Deer Cave” or Longlin Cave in SW China does not change that. These … Continue reading →

Posted in Fossils | Tagged , , | 2 Comments