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The Salt
For Most Of Human History, Being An Omnivore Was No Dilemma
April 20, 2012 Humans and other primates have been omnivores for some time, which may have given us an evolutionary edge over strictly meat or plant eaters, a new study shows. It may have also prompted us to wean our babies faster, another study says.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Darwin, Survival Of The Fittest And Arrival Of The Fittest
April 16, 2012 Why is Darwin's "bank of life" tangled? Because, in part, the "arrival of the fittest" is sufficiently likely. Adaptation is able to happen only because of this. Selection winnows, as the wag said, but the abundant possibilities of the ways of life yields the arrival of the fittest.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Getting Excited About Fake Meat
March 15, 2012 Why would anyone get excited about eating fake meat? If plant-based "meatless chicken" tastes fine, is good for our health and the environment's health, and rescues chickens from slaughterhouse horrors, what's not to like?
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Mama Don't Let Your Babies Deny Evolution
March 3, 2012 Bill Nye explains the danger of letting the nation fall behind in science because of evolution denial.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Will Richard Dawkins Drive A Stake Through The Heart Of The 'Reason Rally'?
February 16, 2012 Next month, a non-believers' Woodstock comes to Washington. Commentator Barbara J. King considers whether headline speaker Richard Dawkins is the best person to lead The Reason Rally's fight against negative stereotypes of non-believers.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
A Darwinian Against Darwin Day
February 12, 2012 Personally I plan on celebrating Darwin Day because when I contemplate the enormity of his insight into the physical world I am awed. But it's interesting to note that not everyone who feels that awe thinks there should be a "Darwin Day".
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Sunday Is Darwin Day
February 11, 2012 Sunday, February 12th is the 203rd anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. Celebrations focus not only on Darwin's brilliant work but also on what we may learn about the world from science more generally.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
A Famous Gorilla Plays The Recorder, And We All May Learn Something
February 2, 2012 When Koko the gorilla plays tones on a recorder, she skillfully controls her breathing patterns. Commentator Barbara J. King explains why this is unexpected for a gorilla — and what it may mean for challenging ourselves to learn new skills throughout life.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Why Should You Care About Science?
January 25, 2012 As science advances, it becomes more abstract and distant from people's everyday reality. How do we bridge the gap so that society as a whole can engage in the questions of the day, from global warming to the debate on evolution?
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Why Do So Many Have Trouble Believing In Evolution?
January 18, 2012 Why do some many people have issues with evolution? Does it really need to threaten belief or are there ways of disentangling the two?
The Salt
Farm-Fresh Food May Have Shaped The Modern Mouth
November 21, 2011 Easy-to-chew foods like rice and corn may have influenced the evolution of the human jawbone. New research says it may also help account for the fact that children in the United States often need to have braces because their mouths can't accommodate their teeth.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
How Do We Best Enable?
November 14, 2011 Sometimes, early in a new arena of thought, questions are more important than answers. This is certainly true in the case of enablement and radical emergence.
The Salt
Giving Mini Burgers To Mice Reveals The Good And Bad Of Cooking Meat
November 9, 2011 Cooked meat delivers more energy than raw meat, which may have given our human ancestors a big evolutionary advantage. It may also explain why today's humans have a hard time keeping off the pounds, according to researchers at Harvard University.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
The Worlds We Mutually Make
November 7, 2011 Something very big is at stake. It's the question of how our living world works and how we become in it.
It's All Politics
Perry To Boy: Evolution 'A Theory' With 'Gaps'; Equates It To Creationism
August 18, 2011 A day after he publicly questioned the science supporting the expert consensus that human activity contributes to global warming, Texas Gov. Rick Perry stuck a skeptical tone about evolution in response to a child's question.
