The Problem With Incest, Harold Herzog
Oct 2012
The Problem With Incest, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
Evolution, morality, and the politics of abortion.
Are You An Animal Person? It Could Be In Your Genes, Harold Herzog
Sep 2012
Are You An Animal Person? It Could Be In Your Genes, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
Twin study shows how heredity effects our relationships with pets.
Why Are Rape Victims More—Not Less—Likely To Become Pregnant?, Harold Herzog
Aug 2012
Why Are Rape Victims More—Not Less—Likely To Become Pregnant?, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
Unlike chickens, human females do not have a defense against rapists' sperm.
Puppies, Kittens, And Human Health: Science Versus Wishful Thinking, Harold Herzog
Aug 2012
Puppies, Kittens, And Human Health: Science Versus Wishful Thinking, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
What do scientists really know about "the pet effect?"
Do Pets Prevent Sudden Death In Children With Epilepsy?, Harold Herzog
Aug 2012
Do Pets Prevent Sudden Death In Children With Epilepsy?, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
The amazing results of a new study on pets and seizure disorders
Host Longevity And Parasite Species Richness In Mammals, Jason Kamilar, Natalie Cooper, Charles Nunn
Aug 2012
Host Longevity And Parasite Species Richness In Mammals, Jason Kamilar, Natalie Cooper, Charles Nunn
scholarworks@library.umass.edu
Hosts and parasites co-evolve, with each lineage exerting selective pressures on the other. Thus, parasites may influence host life-history characteristics, such as longevity, and simultaneously host life-history may influence parasite diversity. If parasite burden causes increased mortality, we expect a negative association between host longevity and parasite species richness. Alternatively, if long-lived species represent a more stable environment for parasite establishment, host longevity and parasite species richness may show a positive association. We tested these two opposing predictions in carnivores, primates and terrestrial ungulates using phylogenetic comparative methods and controlling for the potentially confounding effects of sampling effort and body …
Runx2 Tandem Repeats And The Evolution Of Facial Length In Placental Mammals, Jason Kamilar, Marie Pointer, Vera Warmuth, Stephen Chester, Frédéric Delsuc, Nicholas Mundy, Robert Asher, Brenda Bradley
Jun 2012
Runx2 Tandem Repeats And The Evolution Of Facial Length In Placental Mammals, Jason Kamilar, Marie Pointer, Vera Warmuth, Stephen Chester, Frédéric Delsuc, Nicholas Mundy, Robert Asher, Brenda Bradley
scholarworks@library.umass.edu
Background: When simple sequence repeats are integrated into functional genes, they can potentially act as
evolutionary ‘tuning knobs’, supplying abundant genetic variation with minimal risk of pleiotropic deleterious
effects. The genetic basis of variation in facial shape and length represents a possible example of this phenomenon. Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), which is involved in osteoblast differentiation, contains a functionally important tandem repeat of glutamine and alanine amino acids. The ratio of glutamines to alanines (the QA ratio) in this protein seemingly influences the regulation of bone development. Notably, in domestic breeds of dog, and in carnivorans in general, the …
Do Pets Go To Heaven?, Harold Herzog
May 2012
Do Pets Go To Heaven?, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
If all dogs go to Heaven, what about their fleas?
Puppies And Broken Hearts, Harold Herzog
May 2012
Puppies And Broken Hearts, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
What science says about the healing power of pets.
In Defense Of (Some) Meat, Harold Herzog
Apr 2012
In Defense Of (Some) Meat, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
My contribution to the New York Times "defense of meat-eating" contest.
A Blood Sport For The Rich And Famous?, Harold Herzog
Mar 2012
A Blood Sport For The Rich And Famous?, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
A new report finds horse racing carnage is getting worse.
Horse Racing: Cruelties We Condone And Cruelties We Condemn, Harold Herzog
Mar 2012
Horse Racing: Cruelties We Condone And Cruelties We Condemn, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
Why the deaths of HBO's "Luck" horses were predictable.
Natural Healers: The Four Pillars Of Medicine And How Animals Use Them, Harold Herzog
Jan 2012
Natural Healers: The Four Pillars Of Medicine And How Animals Use Them, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
Is meat-eating the reason pet-owners get sicker than their dogs?
Animals On The Borderline: The Horse Slaughter Controversy, Harold Herzog, Jenny Vermilya
Jan 2012
Animals On The Borderline: The Horse Slaughter Controversy, Harold Herzog, Jenny Vermilya
Harold Herzog, PhD
Are horses pets, products, or both?
Your Worst Animal Nightmare, Harold Herzog
Jan 2012
Your Worst Animal Nightmare, Harold Herzog
Harold Herzog, PhD
Monster snakes are headed your way...
Gregory Of Nyssa On Language, Naming God's Creatures, And The Desire Of The Discursive Animal, Eric D. Meyer
Dec 2011
Gregory Of Nyssa On Language, Naming God's Creatures, And The Desire Of The Discursive Animal, Eric D. Meyer
Eric Meyer
The controversy between Gregory of Nyssa and Eunomius of Cyzicus over the origin and nature of human language might profitably be mapped across the tension between the two creation narratives in the opening chapters of Genesis. Eunomius, emphasizing the hexaemeron, finds the world a place of order divinely structured; Gregory reveling in Paradise, theologizes in a more mytho-poetic mode. Eunomius places great weight on the text’s assertion that God verbally calls the light “day” and the dark “night”—a clear indicator for him of the divine origin of language.1 In contrast, Gregory calls upon the moment in the Paradise narrative where …
Confrontations And Donation: Encounters Between Homeless Pet Owners And The Public, Leslie Irvine, Jesse M. Smith, Kristina N. Kahl
Dec 2011
Confrontations And Donation: Encounters Between Homeless Pet Owners And The Public, Leslie Irvine, Jesse M. Smith, Kristina N. Kahl
Leslie Irvine, PhD
This study examines the interactions between homeless pet owners and the domiciled public with a focus on how the activities of pet ownership help construct positive personal identities. Homeless people are often criticized for having pets. They counter these attacks using open and contained responses to stigmatization. More often, they redefine pet ownership to incorporate how they provide for their animals, challenging definitions that require a physical home. Homeless pet owners thus create a positive moral identity by emphasizing that they feed their animals first and give them freedom that the pets of the domiciled lack. Through what we call …
