DOCSLIB.ORG

Sociobiology and the Quest for Human Nature

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Anthropology Faculty Publications Anthropology, Department of August 1987 Precis of Vaulting Ambition: Sociobiology and the Quest for Human Nature Philip Kitcher University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California Patrick Bateson (Comment by) University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England Jon Beckwith (Comment by) Department of Microbiolgoy and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. Irwin S. Bernstein (Comment by) Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA Patricia Smith Churchland (Comment by) Philosophy Department and Cognitive Science Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, FCaliforniaollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/anthropologyfacpub See P nextart of page the forAnthr additionalopology authorsCommons Kitcher, Philip; Bateson, Patrick (Comment by); Beckwith, Jon (Comment by); Bernstein, Irwin S. (Comment by); Smith Churchland, Patricia (Comment by); Draper, Patricia (Comment by); Dupre, John (Comment by); Futterman, Andrew (Comment by); Ghiselin, Michael T. (Comment by); Harpending, Henry (Comment by); Johnston, Timothy D. (Comment by); Allen, Garland E. (Comment by); Lamb, Michael E. (Comment by); McGrew, W. C. (Comment by); Plotkin, H. C. (Comment by); Rosenberg, Alexander (Comment by); Saunders, Peter T. (Comment by); Ho, Mae-Wan (Comment by); Singer, Peter (Comment by); Smith, Eric Aiden (Comment by); Smith, Peter K. (Comment by); Sober, Elliot (Comment by); Stenseth, Nils C. (Comment by); and Symons, Donald (Comment by), "Precis of Vaulting Ambition: Sociobiology and the Quest for Human Nature" (1987). Anthropology Faculty Publications. 16. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/anthropologyfacpub/16 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Anthropology Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Authors Philip Kitcher, Patrick Bateson (Comment by), Jon Beckwith (Comment by), Irwin S. Bernstein (Comment by), Patricia Smith Churchland (Comment by), Patricia Draper (Comment by), John Dupre (Comment by), Andrew Futterman (Comment by), Michael T. Ghiselin (Comment by), Henry Harpending (Comment by), Timothy D. Johnston (Comment by), Garland E. Allen (Comment by), Michael E. Lamb (Comment by), W. C. McGrew (Comment by), H. C. Plotkin (Comment by), Alexander Rosenberg (Comment by), Peter T. Saunders (Comment by), Mae-Wan Ho (Comment by), Peter Singer (Comment by), Eric Aiden Smith (Comment by), Peter K. Smith (Comment by), Elliot Sober (Comment by), Nils C. Stenseth (Comment by), and Donald Symons (Comment by) This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ anthropologyfacpub/16 Precis of Vaulting Ambition: Sociobiology and the Quest for Human Nature Philip Kitcher Department of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif. 92093 Abstract: The debate about the credentials of sociobiology has persisted because scholars have failed to distinguish the varieties of sociobiology and because too little attention has been paid to the details ofthe arguments that are supposed to support the provocative claims about human soeial behavior. I seek to remedy both dcfieieneies. After analysis of the relationships among different kinds of sociobiology and contemporary evolutionary theory, I attempt to show how some ofthe studies ofthe behavior ofnonhuman animals meet the methodological standards appropriate to evolutionary research. I contend that the efforts of E. O. Wilson, Richard Alexander, Charles Lumsden, and others to generate conclusions about human nature are flawed, both because they apply evolutionary ideas in an unrigorous fashion and because they use dubious assumptions to connect their evolutionary analyses with their conclusions. This contention rests on analyses of many of the major sociobiological proposals about human social behavior, including: differences in sex roles, racial hostility, homosexuality, conflict between parents and adolescent offspring, incest avoidance, the avunculate, alliances in combat, female infanticide, and gene-culture coevolution. Vaulting Ambition thus seeks to identify what is good in sociobiology, to expose the errors ofpremature speculations about human nature, and to prepare the way for serious study of the evolution of human social behavior. Keywords: behavior; culture; environment; evolution; genes; genetics; heredity; human nature; sociobiology The sociobiology debate cial distinctions and because they have not scrutinized the arguments that are supposed to support the provoca­ The chiefaim ofVaulting Ambition (henceforth Ambition) tive theses. Ambition uses C the philosopher's favorite is to end a debate that has occupied biologists, social tactics. I draw distinctions and I analyze arguments. scientists, and humanists for the last decade. I claim that the credentials of sociobiology cannot be properly as­ sessed until we make some important distinctions. First, Varieties of sociobiology there are some exciting developments in recent evolu­ tionary thcory that have been used to illuminate some There is a very broad discipline that is "the systematic aspects of the behavior of nonhuman animals. Second, study ofthe biological basis ofall social behavior" (Wilson there is a potential science that studies the evolution of 1975, p. 2) and that addresses questions about the mecha­ human social behavior. Third, there are some particular nisms, development, function, and evolution of social provocative theses about human nature and the inev­ behavior. In effect, this discipline, broad sociobiology, is itability ofhuman social institutions. I hope to explain the approximately the field defined by Tinbergen in his success of the first kind of sociobiology, to expose the account of the four "whys" of behavioral biology (Tin­ pretensions of the last, and to prepare the way for the bergen 1968, p. 79). Most of the discussion about so­ serious pursuit of the second. ciobiology focuses on a narrower domain. Narrow so­ Human sociobiology has been portrayed by its critics as ciobiology tackles questions of evolution and of function a doctrine that perpetuates inequities on the basis ofsex, (the two are linked because, in the pertinent sense, the class, and race. Although the political import of the attribution offunction consists in the identification of the conclusions advanced by some sociobiologists has to be selection pressure that maintains the behavior). acknowledged, the debate is not ultimately a political So far, I have characterized sociobiology as a field (or one. We need to know whether the provocative conclu­ fields) ofstudy. But we can also consider sociobiology as a sions are well supported by the available evidence. Pol­ theory that supplies answers to the questions that con­ itics intrudes on the scene onlv because the costs oferror stitute the field. I argue that, insofar as there is a theory may be grave, so that we a;e ill-advised to lower our within narrow sociobiology, it is general evolutionary epistemological standards. theory (Ambition, Chapter 4). Theoretical sociobiology is I believe that the sociobiology debate has generated so thus irresistible - at least for anyone who accepts contem­ much heat because the participants have neglected cru- porary evolutionary theory. © 1987 Cambndge University Press 0140-525x/87 $5.00+ .00 61 Kitcher: Problems of human sOciobiology To appreciate the significance of this point we need a inquire about the actual forces that have been at work. clear view of the character ofevolutionary theory. Chap­ Since we may have a good answer to the question about ter 2 ofAmbition attempts to provide this. I suggest that possibility without having strong evidence in favor ofany evolutionary theory, in all its versions from Darwin to the actual scenario, we should make distinctions among so­ present, is best thought of as having three parts. Any ciobiological proposals that tackle these different kinds of version of the theory focuses on a set of questions (the problems. questions it takes to fall within its domain), offers a set of Moreover, sociobiological research will also vary ac­ strategies or schemata for answering these questions, and cording to the traits whose presence it seeks to account for sets forth some general claims about the evolutionary and the sizes of the groups within which those traits are process. Evolutionary questions are answered by devel­ manifested. The latter type of variation is particularly oping structured narratives that exemplify the schemata important. Many narrow sociobiologists focus on a partic­ furnished by the theory. Thus, to take one simple exam­ ular species (speckled wood butterflies, olive 'baboons); pIe, Darwin's original version ofthe theory proposes that others try to account for behavior across a very broad questions of biogeographical distribution are to be an­ group (all birds, all vertebrates with internal fertiliza­ swered by relating histories ofdescent with modification, tion). Obviously, it is harder to defend broad generaliza­ so that we would explain the current distribution of the tions than to support local conclusions about a single marsupials, for instance, by tracing the history of their species. Furthermore, when the generalization covers radiation
Recommended publications
  • Following the Trail of Ants: an Examination of the Work of E.O

    Following the Trail of Ants: an Examination of the Work of E.O

    Sacred Heart University DigitalCommons@SHU Writing Across the Curriculum Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) 2012 Following The rT ail Of Ants: An Examination Of The orW k Of E.O. Wilson Samantha Kee Sacred Heart University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/wac_prize Part of the Biodiversity Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Entomology Commons, Other Genetics and Genomics Commons, Philosophy of Science Commons, Religion Commons, and the Theory, Knowledge and Science Commons Recommended Citation Kee, Samantha, "Following The rT ail Of Ants: An Examination Of The orkW Of E.O. Wilson" (2012). Writing Across the Curriculum. 2. http://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/wac_prize/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) at DigitalCommons@SHU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Writing Across the Curriculum by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@SHU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Samantha Kee RS 299-Writing With Public Purpose Dr. Brian Stiltner March 2, 2012 Following the trail of ants An examination of the work of E.O. Wilson Edward Osborne Wilson was a born naturalist, in every sense of the word. As a child growing up in Alabama, he collected and studied species of snakes, flies, and the insect that became the basis of his life’s work, ants. He made a goal to record every species of ant that could be found in Alabama—a childhood project that would eventually lead to his first scientific publication. By age 13, Wilson discovered a red, non-native ant in a local town in Alabama, and by the time he entered the University of Alabama, the fire ant had become a significant threat to the state’s agriculture.
  • Biogeography and Ecology of New Guinea Edited by J.L. Gressitt Dr W

    Biogeography and Ecology of New Guinea Edited by J.L. Gressitt Dr W

    Book reviews Biogeography and Ecology of New of documentation, analysis and interpretation is Guinea put over with a style and spirit that prevents such a Edited by J.L. Gressitt heavyweight work from becoming too stodgy. Dr W. Junk, 2 vols, US $195, DFL.450 Norman Myers The opening sentence of this splendid work sums it up: 'New Guinea is a fantastic island, unique Darwinism Defended; a guide to the and fascinating'. The largest tropical island and evolution controversies the highest island (with glaciers), it features Michael Ruse extraordinary bio-ecological diversity: some 9000 species of plants, many of them endemic; Addison Wesley, £6-95 more than 200 mammals, almost two-thirds of For a century it has been taken for granted that which are unique to the island; at least 570 birds; Darwin had solved the question to why there is a 170 lizards; 200 frogs; probably 10,000 species of myriad of species on earth. Many people now beetles, and around 20,000 species of other think otherwise and the theory of evolution by arthropods. Yet these figures, remarkable as they natural selection is under assault from several are, refer only to known and documented branches of enquiry; some philosophers think species: the numbers awaiting scientific attention that the theory is nothing more than empty could well be much greater. Along the southern rhetoric, some scientists think evolution occurs in edge of the island the climate is seasonal, thus jerks and thus negates the gradualist requirement engendering ecological variety, and the geologic of Darwin's theory and others believe that the upheavals of the recent past have induced patterns of life on earth are by the hand of an sufficient 'creative disruption' to stimulate the omniscient creator.
  • Sociobiology in Turmoil Again

    Sociobiology in Turmoil Again

    GENERAL ARTICLES Sociobiology in turmoil again Raghavendra Gadagkar Altruism is defined as any behaviour that lowers the Darwinian fitness of the actor while increasing that of the recipient. Such altruism (especially in the form of lifetime sterility exhibited by sterile workers in eusocial insects such as ants, bees, wasps and termites) has long been considered a major difficulty for the theory of natural selection. In the 1960s W. D. Hamilton potentially solved this problem by defining a new measure of fitness that he called inclusive fitness, which also included the effect of an individual’s action on the fitness of genetic relatives. This has come to be known as inclusive fitness theory, Hamilton’s rule or kin selection. E. O. Wilson almost single-handedly popularized this new approach in the 1970s and thus helped create a large body of new empirical research and a large community of behavioural ecologists and kin selectionists. Adding thrill and drama to our otherwise sombre lives, Wilson is now leading a frontal attack on Hamilton’s approach, claiming that the inclusive fitness theory is not as mathematically general as the standard natural selection theory, has led to no additional biological insights and should therefore be aban- doned. The world cannot but sit up and take notice. Keywords: Altruism, eusociality, Hamilton’s rule, inclusive fitness theory, kin selection, sociobiology. THE science of sociobiology is in turmoil again and this Altruism and eusociality time on theoretical grounds. And yes, E. O. Wilson (of Harvard University) is at the epicentre of it; but, believe Among the various kinds of social interactions seen it or not, this time around he is leading the attack and his commonly in group-living species, the most paradoxical followers (erstwhile?) are at the receiving end.
  • Contributions from Evolutionary Anthropology

    Contributions from Evolutionary Anthropology

    Innovation in Cultural Systems Contributions from Evolutionary Anthropology edited by Michael J. O’Brien and Stephen J. Shennan The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England © 2010 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. MIT Press books may be purchased at special quantity discounts for business or sales promotional use. For information, please email [email protected] or write to Special Sales Department, The MIT Press, 55 Hayward Street, Cambridge, MA 02142. This book was set in Times Roman by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Innovation in cultural systems : contributions from evolutionary anthropology / edited by Michael J. O’Brien and Stephen J. Shennan. p. cm.—(Vienna series in theoretical biology) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-262-01333-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Physical anthropology. 2. Human evolution. 3. Social evolution. 4. Human beings–Origin. 5. Technological innovations. I. O’Brien, Michael J. II. Shennan, Stephen J. GN60.I56 2010 599.9–dc22 2009009084 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 Issues in Anthropological Studies of Innovation Michael J. O’Brien and Stephen J. Shennan It would be diffi cult to fi nd a topic in anthropology that has played as central a role as innovation in attempts to explain why and how human behavior changes.
  • 1 "Principles of Phylogenetics: Ecology

    1 "Principles of Phylogenetics: Ecology

    "PRINCIPLES OF PHYLOGENETICS: ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION" Integrative Biology 200 Spring 2016 University of California, Berkeley D.D. Ackerly March 7, 2016. Phylogenetics and Adaptation What is to be explained? • What is the evolutionary history of trait x that we see in a lineage (homology) or multiple lineages (homoplasy) - adaptations as states • Is natural selection the primary evolutionary process leading to the ‘fit’ of organisms to their environment? • Why are some traits more prevalent (occur in more species): number of origins vs. trait- dependent diversification rates (speciation – extinction) Some high points in the history of the adaptation debate: 1950s • Modern Synthesis of Genetics (Dobzhansky), Paleontology (Simpson) and Systematics (Mayr, Grant) 1960s • Rise of evolutionary ecology – synthesis of ecology with strong adaptationism via optimality theory, with little to no history; leads to Sociobiology in the 70s • Appearance of cladistics (Hennig) 1972 • Eldredge and Gould – punctuated equilibrium – argue that Modern Synthesis can’t explain pervasive observation of stasis in fossil record; Gould focuses on development and constraint as explanations, Eldredge more on ecology and importance of migration to minimize selective pressure 1979 • Gould and Lewontin – Spandrels – general critique of adaptationist program and call for rigorous hypothesis testing of alternatives for the ‘fit’ between organism and environment 1980’s • Debate on whether macroevolution can be explained by microevolutionary processes • Comparative methods
  • Balanced Biosocial Theory for the Social Sciences

    Balanced Biosocial Theory for the Social Sciences

    UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2004 Balanced biosocial theory for the social sciences Michael A Restivo University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Restivo, Michael A, "Balanced biosocial theory for the social sciences" (2004). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 1635. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/5jp5-vy39 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BALANCED BIOSOCIAL THEORY FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES by Michael A. Restivo Bachelor of Arts IPIoridkijSjlarrhcIJiuAHsrsity 2001 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillm ent ofdœnxpnnnnenkfbrthe Master of Arts Degree in Sociology Departm ent of Sociology College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas M ay 2004 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1422154 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction.
  • The Strange Survival and Apparent Resurgence of Sociobiology

    The Strange Survival and Apparent Resurgence of Sociobiology

    This is a repository copy of The strange survival and apparent resurgence of sociobiology. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/118157/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Dennis, A. orcid.org/0000-0003-4625-1123 (2018) The strange survival and apparent resurgence of sociobiology. History of the Human Sciences, 31 (1). pp. 19-35. ISSN 0952- 6951 https://doi.org/10.1177/0952695117735966 Dennis A. The strange survival and apparent resurgence of sociobiology. History of the Human Sciences. 2018;31(1):19-35. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0952695117735966. Article available under the terms of the CC- BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Reuse This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) licence. This licence only allows you to download this work and share it with others as long as you credit the authors, but you can’t change the article in any way or use it commercially. More information and the full terms of the licence here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ The strange survival and apparent resurgence of sociobiology Abstract A recent dispute between Richard Dawkins and Edward O. Wilson concerning fundamental concepts in sociobiology is examined.
  • Evolution, Politics and Law

    Evolution, Politics and Law

    Valparaiso University Law Review Volume 38 Number 4 Summer 2004 pp.1129-1248 Summer 2004 Evolution, Politics and Law Bailey Kuklin Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/vulr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Bailey Kuklin, Evolution, Politics and Law, 38 Val. U. L. Rev. 1129 (2004). Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/vulr/vol38/iss4/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Valparaiso University Law School at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Valparaiso University Law Review by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at [email protected]. Kuklin: Evolution, Politics and Law VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW VOLUME 38 SUMMER 2004 NUMBER 4 Article EVOLUTION, POLITICS AND LAW Bailey Kuklin* I. Introduction ............................................... 1129 II. Evolutionary Theory ................................. 1134 III. The Normative Implications of Biological Dispositions ......................... 1140 A . Fact and Value .................................... 1141 B. Biological Determinism ..................... 1163 C. Future Fitness ..................................... 1183 D. Cultural N orm s .................................. 1188 IV. The Politics of Sociobiology ..................... 1196 A. Political Orientations ......................... 1205 B. Political Tactics ................................... 1232 V . C onclusion ................................................. 1248 I. INTRODUCTION
  • The Theoretical Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology

    The Theoretical Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology

    3GC01 06/09/2015 12:40:42 Page 3 Tooby, J. & Cosmides, L. (2015). The theoretical foundations of evolutionary psychology. In Buss, D. M. (Ed.), The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology, Second edition. Volume 1: Foundations. (pp. 3-87). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. CHAPTER 1 The Theoretical Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology JOHN TOOBY and LEDA COSMIDES THE EMERGENCE OF EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY: WHAT IS AT STAKE? HE THEORY OF evolution by natural selection has revolutionary implications for understanding the design of the human mind and brain, as Darwin himself was Tthe first to recognize (Darwin, 1859). Indeed, a principled understanding of the network of causation that built the functional architecture of the human species offers the possibility of transforming the study of humanity into a natural science capable of precision and rapid progress. Yet, more than a century and a half after The Origin of Species was published, many of the psychological, social, and behavioral sciences continue to be grounded on assumptions that evolutionarily informed researchers know to be false; the rest have only in the past few decades set to work on the radical reformulations of their disciplines necessary to make them consistent with findings in the evolutionary sciences, information theory, computer science, physics, the neuro- sciences, molecular and cellular biology, genetics, behavioral ecology, hunter-gatherer studies, biological anthropology, primatology, and so on (Pinker, 1997, 2002; Tooby & Cosmides, 1992). Evolutionary psychology is the long-forestalled scientific attempt to assemble out of the disjointed, fragmentary, and mutually contradictory human disciplines a single, logically integrated research framework for the psychological, social, and behavioral sciences—a framework that not only incorporates the evolu- tionary sciences and information theory on a full and equal basis, but that systemati- cally works out all the revisions in existing belief and research practice that such a synthesis requires (Tooby & Cosmides, 1992).
  • James K. Wetterer

    James K. Wetterer

    James K. Wetterer Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University 5353 Parkside Drive, Jupiter, FL 33458 Phone: (561) 799-8648; FAX: (561) 799-8602; e-mail: [email protected] EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, Seattle, WA, 9/83 - 8/88 Ph.D., Zoology: Ecology and Evolution; Advisor: Gordon H. Orians. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, East Lansing, MI, 9/81 - 9/83 M.S., Zoology: Ecology; Advisors: Earl E. Werner and Donald J. Hall. CORNELL UNIVERSITY, Ithaca, NY, 9/76 - 5/79 A.B., Biology: Ecology and Systematics. UNIVERSITÉ DE PARIS III, France, 1/78 - 5/78 Semester abroad: courses in theater, literature, and history of art. WORK EXPERIENCE FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY, Wilkes Honors College 8/04 - present: Professor 7/98 - 7/04: Associate Professor Teaching: Biodiversity, Principles of Ecology, Behavioral Ecology, Human Ecology, Environmental Studies, Tropical Ecology, Field Biology, Life Science, and Scientific Writing 9/03 - 1/04 & 5/04 - 8/04: Fulbright Scholar; Ants of Trinidad and Tobago COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, Department of Earth and Environmental Science 7/96 - 6/98: Assistant Professor Teaching: Community Ecology, Behavioral Ecology, and Tropical Ecology WHEATON COLLEGE, Department of Biology 8/94 - 6/96: Visiting Assistant Professor Teaching: General Ecology and Introductory Biology HARVARD UNIVERSITY, Museum of Comparative Zoology 8/91- 6/94: Post-doctoral Fellow; Behavior, ecology, and evolution of fungus-growing ants Advisors: Edward O. Wilson, Naomi Pierce, and Richard Lewontin 9/95 - 1/96: Teaching: Ethology PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 7/89 - 7/91: Research Associate; Ecology and evolution of leaf-cutting ants Advisor: Stephen Hubbell 1/91 - 5/91: Teaching: Tropical Ecology, Introduction to the Scientific Method VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, Department of Psychology 9/88 - 7/89: Post-doctoral Fellow; Visual psychophysics of fish and horseshoe crabs Advisor: Maureen K.
  • Testing Darwin's Hypothesis About The

    Testing Darwin's Hypothesis About The

    vol. 193, no. 2 the american naturalist february 2019 Natural History Note Testing Darwin’s Hypothesis about the Wonderful Venus Flytrap: Marginal Spikes Form a “Horrid q1 Prison” for Moderate-Sized Insect Prey Alexander L. Davis,1 Matthew H. Babb,1 Matthew C. Lowe,1 Adam T. Yeh,1 Brandon T. Lee,1 and Christopher H. Martin1,2,* 1. Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599; 2. Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 Submitted May 8, 2018; Accepted September 24, 2018; Electronically published Month XX, 2018 Dryad data: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h8401kn. abstract: Botanical carnivory is a novel feeding strategy associated providing new ecological opportunities (Wainwright et al. with numerous physiological and morphological adaptations. How- 2012; Maia et al. 2013; Martin and Wainwright 2013; Stroud ever, the benefits of these novel carnivorous traits are rarely tested. and Losos 2016). Despite the importance of these traits, our We used field observations, lab experiments, and a seminatural ex- understanding of the adaptive value of novel structures is of- periment to test prey capture function of the marginal spikes on snap ten assumed and rarely directly tested. Frequently, this is be- traps of the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). Our field and labora- cause it is difficult or impossible to manipulate the trait with- fi tory results suggested inef cient capture success: fewer than one in four out impairing organismal function in an unintended way; prey encounters led to prey capture. Removing the marginal spikes de- creased the rate of prey capture success for moderate-sized cricket prey however, many carnivorous plant traits do not present this by 90%, but this effect disappeared for larger prey.
  • Maybe Not--But You Can Have Fun Trying

    Maybe Not--But You Can Have Fun Trying

    12/29/2010 Can You Live Forever? Maybe Not--But… Permanent Address: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=e-zimmer-can-you-live-forever Can You Live Forever? Maybe Not--But You Can Have Fun Trying In this chapter from his new e-book, journalist Carl Zimmer tries to reconcile the visions of techno-immortalists with the exigencies imposed by real-world biology By Carl Zimmer | Wednesday, December 22, 2010 | 14 comments Editor's Note: Carl Zimmer, author of this month's article, "100 Trillion Connections," has just brought out a much-acclaimed e-book, Brain Cuttings: 15 Journeys Through the Mind (Scott & Nix), that compiles a series of his writings on neuroscience. In this chapter, adapted from an article that was first published in Playboy, Zimmer takes the reader on a tour of the 2009 Singularity Summit in New York City. His ability to contrast the fantastical predictions of speakers at the conference with the sometimes more skeptical assessments from other scientists makes his account a fascinating read. Let's say you transfer your mind into a computer—not all at once but gradually, having electrodes inserted into your brain and then wirelessly outsourcing your faculties. Someone reroutes your vision through cameras. Someone stores your memories on a net of microprocessors. Step by step your metamorphosis continues until at last the transfer is complete. As engineers get to work boosting the performance of your electronic mind so you can now think as a god, a nurse heaves your fleshy brain into a bag of medical waste. As you —for now let's just call it "you"—start a new chapter of existence exclusively within a machine, an existence that will last as long as there are server farms and hard-disk space and the solar power to run them, are "you" still actually you? This question was being considered carefully and thoroughly by a 43-year-old man standing on a giant stage backed by high black curtains.