The Human Edge http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128245649&ft=1&f=128245649 We share most of our genes with apes. Around 6 million years ago, evolution began tinkering with this basic body kit and brought about the physical, mental and cultural changes that made us the most versatile species on the planet. en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:11:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif The Human Edge http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128245649&ft=1&f=128245649 Un-Natural Selection: Human Evolution's Next Steps Millions of years ago, the natural environment was shaping us into the species we are now and humans evolved by natural selection.  But as humans continue to evolve, we've turned the notion of natural selection on its head. Nature isn't the only force that picks the genes. Humans are doing it too. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:11:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129638953&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129638953&ft=1&f=128245649 Millions of years ago, the natural environment was shaping us into the species we are now and humans evolved by natural selection.  But as humans continue to evolve, we've turned the notion of natural selection on its head. Nature isn't the only force that picks the genes. Humans are doing it too.

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]]> Evolving Culture: Where Do We Go From Here? Humans are still evolving, but cultural evolution is far outpacing genetic evolution. Our environment and technology are changing so rapidly that genetic adaptations can't keep up. So we're adapting by learning new things and passing that knowledge onto the next generation. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129604791&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129604791&ft=1&f=128245649 Humans are still evolving, but cultural evolution is far outpacing genetic evolution. Our environment and technology are changing so rapidly that genetic adaptations can't keep up. So we're adapting by learning new things and passing that knowledge onto the next generation.

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]]> Our Storied Lives: Narrating, Navigating Adversity Shaun Parker moved from Menasha, Wis., to Los Angeles to pursue his dream to work in film. After nearly two decades of setbacks and stalling, Parker began crafting a new life story -- one that got a kick-start with an appearance at the storytelling series <em>Mortified.</em> Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:48:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129534155&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129534155&ft=1&f=128245649 Shaun Parker moved from Menasha, Wis., to Los Angeles to pursue his dream to work in film. After nearly two decades of setbacks and stalling, Parker began crafting a new life story -- one that got a kick-start with an appearance at the storytelling series Mortified.

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]]> Is Believing In God Evolutionarily Advantageous? In the history of the world, every culture in every location at every point in time has developed some supernatural belief system. And believing in God may have been evolutionarily advantageous to humans as it provided a framework for promoting social good. Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129528196&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129528196&ft=1&f=128245649 In the history of the world, every culture in every location at every point in time has developed some supernatural belief system. And believing in God may have been evolutionarily advantageous to humans as it provided a framework for promoting social good.

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]]> Our Storied Lives: The Quest For 'Something More' Humans have been telling stories ever since we began talking. This ability to craft narratives helps us shape our lives and our interactions with others and, says one neurologist, pushes us to excel and give life meaning. Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2010/08/30/129471712/our-storied-lives-the-quest-for-something-more?ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/2010/08/30/129471712/our-storied-lives-the-quest-for-something-more?ft=1&f=128245649 Humans have been telling stories ever since we began talking. This ability to craft narratives helps us shape our lives and our interactions with others and, says one neurologist, pushes us to excel and give life meaning.

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]]> Autism Gives Woman An 'Alien View' Of Social Brains Autism has made biomedical engineering student Lisa Daxer feel like an outsider. "I have a weird brain," she says. But it has also helped her become something of an expert on the social behavior of people without autism. Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:47:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129379866&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129379866&ft=1&f=128245649 Autism has made biomedical engineering student Lisa Daxer feel like an outsider. "I have a weird brain," she says. But it has also helped her become something of an expert on the social behavior of people without autism.

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]]> Teary-Eyed Evolution: Crying Serves A Purpose We need tears to keep our eyes lubricated, but why should streams of salty drops spew forth from our eyes, blurring our vision and making our eyes puffy when we get emotional? Throughout evolution, tears may have added a new dimension to human communication. Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129329054&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129329054&ft=1&f=128245649 We need tears to keep our eyes lubricated, but why should streams of salty drops spew forth from our eyes, blurring our vision and making our eyes puffy when we get emotional? Throughout evolution, tears may have added a new dimension to human communication.

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]]> Monkey Business: Fairness Isn't Just A Human Trait Humans and monkeys share more than physical evolutionary heritage -- they share many behavioral traits, too, like the concepts of fairness and curiosity. Monkeys, like humans, are able to recognize when they receive less than someone else. Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:14:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129233715&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129233715&ft=1&f=128245649 Humans and monkeys share more than physical evolutionary heritage -- they share many behavioral traits, too, like the concepts of fairness and curiosity. Monkeys, like humans, are able to recognize when they receive less than someone else.

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]]> Signing, Singing, Speaking: How Language Evolved Humans evolved a brain with an extraordinary knack for language, but just how and when we began using language is still largely a mystery. Early human communication may have been in sign language or song, and scientists are studying other animals to learn how human language evolved. Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129155123&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129155123&ft=1&f=128245649 Humans evolved a brain with an extraordinary knack for language, but just how and when we began using language is still largely a mystery. Early human communication may have been in sign language or song, and scientists are studying other animals to learn how human language evolved.

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]]> From Grunting To Gabbing: Why Humans Can Talk Chimps and humans both have lungs, throats, voice boxes, tongues and lips. But unlike chimps, humans have a vocal tract that allows us to do everything from talk on the phone to sing opera. Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:25:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129083762&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129083762&ft=1&f=128245649 Chimps and humans both have lungs, throats, voice boxes, tongues and lips. But unlike chimps, humans have a vocal tract that allows us to do everything from talk on the phone to sing opera.

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]]> When Did We Become Mentally Modern? Our ability to think in symbols -- the notion that objects can represent ideas -- is one of the key traits that make us human. We weren't always symbolic thinkers, and scientists are trying to figure out when our minds evolved this ability. Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129082962&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129082962&ft=1&f=128245649 Our ability to think in symbols -- the notion that objects can represent ideas -- is one of the key traits that make us human. We weren't always symbolic thinkers, and scientists are trying to figure out when our minds evolved this ability.

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]]> From Primitive Parts, A Highly Evolved Human Brain Our remarkable brain has evolved from very primitive parts. From one perspective, it's a masterpiece. From another, it's just 3 pounds of inefficient jelly. But out of all that jelly, human traits emerge, including observational learning and high-level cognition. Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129027124&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129027124&ft=1&f=128245649 Our remarkable brain has evolved from very primitive parts. From one perspective, it's a masterpiece. From another, it's just 3 pounds of inefficient jelly. But out of all that jelly, human traits emerge, including observational learning and high-level cognition.

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]]> Armed And Deadly: Shoulder, Weapons Key To Hunt The shoulder altered the course of human evolution by giving us survival skills we never could have imagined without it. The shape of the joint allowed us to develop tools and weapons we could <em>throw</em>, like rocks and spears. And advanced weaponry meant better meals. Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128830458&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128830458&ft=1&f=128245649 The shoulder altered the course of human evolution by giving us survival skills we never could have imagined without it. The shape of the joint allowed us to develop tools and weapons we could throw, like rocks and spears. And advanced weaponry meant better meals.

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]]> Food For Thought: Meat-Based Diet Made Us Smarter Our earliest ancestors ate a diet of raw food that required immense energy to digest. But once we started eating nutrient-rich meat, our energy-hungry brains began growing and our guts began to shrink. Cooking that food not only made it safer, but also easier to digest. Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2010/08/02/128849908/food-for-thought-meat-based-diet-made-us-smarter?ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/2010/08/02/128849908/food-for-thought-meat-based-diet-made-us-smarter?ft=1&f=128245649 Our earliest ancestors ate a diet of raw food that required immense energy to digest. But once we started eating nutrient-rich meat, our energy-hungry brains began growing and our guts began to shrink. Cooking that food not only made it safer, but also easier to digest.

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]]> A Handy Bunch: Tools, Thumbs Helped Us Thrive The evolving anatomy of the human hand gave humans great dexterity and fine motor skills. With these advances came the ability to make stone tools and primitive knives. Anthropologists are now studying how our ancestors learned to make tools, and how these tools shaped our bodies. Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128676181&ft=1&f=128245649 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128676181&ft=1&f=128245649 The evolving anatomy of the human hand gave humans great dexterity and fine motor skills. With these advances came the ability to make stone tools and primitive knives. Anthropologists are now studying how our ancestors learned to make tools, and how these tools shaped our bodies.

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