Category Archives: Evolution

Can you teach a wolf brain new tricks? Some thoughts on artificial selection and brain evolution in canids

Posted on February 18, 2014 by JB

A few weeks ago, I attended another Evolution and Human Adaptation lecture. The ultimate reason I went to another talk was  to expand my mind and learn about the evolution of the human brain, though as always the proximate reason I … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Humans: Low energy, high payoff

Posted on February 4, 2014 by JB

One of the recurring motifs in any intro-level Human Evolution class is the importance of bipedalism.  I’ve tried to teach this topic in a variety of ways, even going so far as to encourage undergrads to walk like chimpanzees – … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Anthropology, Evolution | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

You are how you eat: cooking and human evolution

Posted on November 14, 2013 by JB

Richard Wrangham recently came and gave a talk  as part of a four-field Anthropology colloquium here at Michigan. He presented an idea that’s been gaining ground in biological anthropology in recent years – namely, that humans are adapted to consume … Continue reading →

Posted in Anatomy, Evolution | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment