Thursday, August 06, 2009

Ten Unexplained Human Characteristics

 
New Scientist is at it again. This time they've come up with Ten things we don't understand about humans.
  1. Blushing
  2. Laughter
  3. Pubic Hair
  4. Teenagers
  5. Dreams
  6. Altruism
  7. Art
  8. Superstition
  9. Kissing
  10. Nose-picking
It goes without saying that these "problems" are much more of a concern for adaptationists than for pluralists.
at

11 comments:

  1. AnonymousThursday, August 06, 2009 3:38:00 PM

    I thought superstition is a common problem :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. jakeThursday, August 06, 2009 3:39:00 PM

    Is that as bad as todays article on miracles? I dunno...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Daniel Ocampo DazaThursday, August 06, 2009 4:25:00 PM

    I'm kinda surprised yawning isn't in there. Just-so stories abound in that field.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ccubemanThursday, August 06, 2009 5:18:00 PM

    I shaved off my public hair, my pubic hair too. It's itchy. Speaking of itches - what's the explanation there?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AdrianThursday, August 06, 2009 8:40:00 PM

    In case you're wondering, it's not a spelling mistake: pubic hair is public in Canada. It's photos of teenagers that are taboo up here.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousThursday, August 06, 2009 11:16:00 PM

    Tyro: yes it is a typo.
    http://www.newscientist.com/special/ten-mysteries-of-you

    ReplyDelete
  7. SimileFriday, August 07, 2009 3:42:00 AM

    Is that public hair a veiled reference to islam being misunderstood?
    I agree that the features in new scientist aren't very good, and the news too brief. I don't think this is a new development though.
    (veiled- get it)

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousFriday, August 07, 2009 5:33:00 AM

    Isn't New Scientist a reputable popular science news website? Is there not debate regarding these human characteristics?

    ReplyDelete
  9. AdrianFriday, August 07, 2009 9:12:00 AM

    I agree that the features in new scientist aren't very good, and the news too brief.

    Brief, I get it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Robert MoraneFriday, August 07, 2009 9:24:00 PM

    Altruism? They don't understand altruism?

    I'll give them a hint: who is more likely to receive help and cooperation? The nice guy or the asshole?

    Being nice has advantages. Being an asshole doesn't.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Psi WavefunctionSunday, August 09, 2009 5:57:00 AM

    How about we chill out with the hyperadaptationalism a bit? There doesn't have to be any adaptive value to any of those... byproducts happen, etc. News reporters seem to have failed that little detail. Because just-so stories sell so well...

    ReplyDelete