Clipmarks | Aribeth's Evolution/Biology collection

1st time Darwin's Papers Online 4 Free

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:48:48 GMT

clipped by: syncopath

Charles Darwin's Papers Online

For decades available only to scholars at Cambridge University Library, the private papers of Charles Darwin, one of the most influential scientists in history, can now be seen by anyone online and free of charge. This is the largest ever publication of Darwin papers and manuscripts, totalling about 20,000 items in nearly 90,000 electronic images.

This vast and varied collection of papers includes the first draft of his theory of evolution, notes from the voyage of the Beagle and Emma Darwin's recipe book.

These online images are scans from copies of early black and white microfilms produced by the Cambridge University Library Imaging Service, mostly in the 1990s. For online publication now a slight colour tint has been added to many and the brightness and contrast have been digitally enhanced.

First sketch of the theory of evolution, 1842

Theoretical notebooks

Drafts of Descent of Man

Review of Origin of Species, 1859

Human Evolution & Intelligence StudiesTrending Away From Reductionism

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:58:35 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver

Clip Source: memebox.com

How strong are your genes? How smart are you? People have traditionally estimated answers to these questions based on genetic surveys and IQ Tests, which can provide valuable answers, but stop well short of factoring in the system(s) surrounding us.

Right now, we may be on the verge of a perspective shift that will help us to fill in a few more gaps and better our systems definitions. Both human intelligence and evolutionary studies appear poised for a due emphasis shift from reductionism (the focus on individual human agents and single brains) to a more holistic (the focus on large groups and the surrounding bio/info/tech structures) approach.

a new model, which demonstrates that environmental factors play a much larger role in the evolution of cognition than previously thought.

“industrialization’s rising cognitive demands

could in fact be the kind of widespread

changing environmental factor that could account for the higher IQ scores across so many nations.” (cont.)

Tags: evolution, human intelligence, cognitive development

Schizophrenia: The Curse That's Almost a Blessing

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:57:25 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: A recent study may have found what kind of process goes awry in schizophrenic brains. Researchers found that DISC1 regulates the migration of new neurons in the adult brain. When the levels of DISC1 were reduced in mice during adult neurogenesis, the newborn neurons sped up and overshot their intended targets within the hippocampus, When the neurons finally reached their destinations, they forged an unusual number of connections with neighboring cells, a series of events that might give rise to the abnormal—and quite crippling—brain functions associated with schizophrenia, according to Hongjun Song, a Johns Hopkins neurologist who also worked on the study. It is possible, Song says, that further research will lead to a drug that treats schizophrenia by restoring normal neurogenesis.

So what evolutionary advantage could schizophrenia-related genes bring to people who have some of the genes but not the disease? For now, this remains one of the many open questions.

Clip Source: discovermagazine.com

Schizophrenia: The Curse That's Almost a Blessing

The disease may be the twisted flipside of an evolutionary boost.

For years, scientists struggled to identify an adaptive advantage that might explain schizophrenia’s persistence. Researchers from various disciplines volleyed ideas back and forth. Some argued that the genes implicated in the disease promoted creativity; others believed that schizophrenics were frustrated cult leaders—unorthodox thinkers constitutionally “engineered” to lead segments of humanity to break off from the herd, but who lacked the charisma to effect much change. None of the theories gained much traction.

Tags: psychology, brain, schizophrenia, evolution