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Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Arts and Humanities

Journal

2020

Covid-19

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Minerva 2020, The Honors College Jan 2020

Minerva 2020, The Honors College

Minerva

This issue of Minerva includes an article on 2020 Honors Read Rising Out of Hatred; a piece by Professors Mimi Killinger and Katie Quirk on teaching during a pandemic; and a story on the UMaine UVote initiative led by Rob Glover and Jenny Desmond. Other highlights include reflections by current students; an article on the Honors Outdoor Program Series (HOPS); and profiles recognizing several alumni accomplishments.


Covid-19, Evolution, Brains And Psychology, Frederick Toates Jan 2020

Covid-19, Evolution, Brains And Psychology, Frederick Toates

Animal Sentience

Attention needs to be directed to the processes that control behavior in humans and the adaptive problems that they solved in our early evolutionary environment. The evolutionary mismatch between the current environment and the human brain can yield important insights into the problems that beset us in the context of environmental degradation and nonhuman animal welfare.


Tribal Brains In The Global Village: Deeper Roots Of The Pandemic, Robert Gerlai Jan 2020

Tribal Brains In The Global Village: Deeper Roots Of The Pandemic, Robert Gerlai

Animal Sentience

I briefly recap the messages of the target article by Wiebers & Feigin (2020) and the accompanying peer commentaries about what we learn from the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the rapid evolution of viruses as an example of the importance of prevention, I explore why it is difficult for our species to foresee and prevent unintended global changes resulting from human activity. I end with a discussion about the long-term future, the ultimate problem inherent in our current mindset and the structure of our economy: growth.