Curations from the Human Jungle
[We've all been around long enough to have witnessed the evolution of language in our lifetimes. Nothing new about that, Bro. But, but do you realize how long this has been going on and at what rate? The video below is like a freeze-frame photo that condenses some thousand years or so of linguistic evolution... Continue Reading →
[Silverback John of the Mendocino Bonobos passed this along so that we can get a better sense of where we rank in the order of Great Ape species. SB SM] https://www.scientificamerican.com/ February 3, 2025 Bonobos Can Tell When a Human Doesn’t Know Something An experiment shows that bonobos can understand when a human lacks knowledge... Continue Reading →
[The Browser is a regular source of inspiration and stimulation. Colin Quinn is an academic who brings up a very interesting question: "Why is there pain?" Wouldn't we be better off without it? Something to ponder as you munch on leaves and bananas today. SB SM] December 13, 2023 by Colin McGinn Evolution of Pain Pain has... Continue Reading →
[Homo Sapiens, I've come to realize, are an invasive species. We've seized an ecological opportunity to devour ancient sunlight by burning fossil fuels and used it to proliferate like crazy until we've exhausted the supply. Afterwards we'll recede to either an appropriate environmental niche or, more likely, disappear entirely. Meanwhile, the octopi, horseshoe crabs, and... Continue Reading →
summarized by Bryan Pfeiffer published in chasingnature.substack.com, May 26,2023 Clockwise from upper left: Atala (Eumaeus atala), Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis), Little Metalmark (Calephelis virginiensis), Leonard’s Skipper (Hesperia leonardus), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) Sara Orangetip (Anthocharis sara) / All images @ Bryan Pfeiffer Butterflies: Made in the Americas Lepidopterists everywhere dropped our butterfly nets and... Continue Reading →
[This is the kind of thing I find fascinating and enlightening, They should call us Homo Bandaidus. But I also have to admit that I'm a sucker for clickbait. Do You think Harry and Megan are really splitting up? SB SM] From the nucleus of each cell to the architecture of our organs, the human... Continue Reading →
NINA G. JABLONSKI 28 SEP 2022 This article was originally published at The Conversation and has been republished with Creative Commons. ✽ HUMAN BEINGS HAVE a conflicted relationship with the sun. People love sunshine, but then get hot. Sweat gets in your eyes. Then there are all the protective rituals: the sunscreen, the hats, the sunglasses. If... Continue Reading →
[Do Silverbacks like their wine. You betcha. SB SM] Archaeologists have investigated Greek wine containers shipwrecked in the Mediterranean. Cristian Umili/Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images Five Turning Points in the Evolution of Wine By Christopher Howard Contrary to popular belief, the evolution of wine precedes agriculture and the domestication of grapes. The genesis of wine may even predate... Continue Reading →
Best of the 'Gest In celebration of the completion of our first year of publication, we are re-visiting some of our most memorable posts. This was originally published on October 17, 2020. How Did Belief Evolve? By Agustín Fuentes [Editor's note: If you are mystified by the chasm of reality that separates political groups these... Continue Reading →