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Chimpanzee Vocal Signaling Points To A Multimodal Origin Of Human Language, Jared P. Taglialatela, Jamie L. Russell, Jennifer A. Schaeffer, William D. Hopkins

Faculty Articles

The evolutionary origin of human language and its neurobiological foundations has long been the object of intense scientific debate. Although a number of theories have been proposed, one particularly contentious model suggests that human language evolved from a manual gestural communication system in a common ape-human ancestor. Consistent with a gestural origins theory are data indicating that chimpanzees intentionally and referentially communicate via manual gestures, and the production of manual gestures, in conjunction with vocalizations, activates the chimpanzee Broca’s area homologue – a region in the human brain that is critical for the planning and execution of language. However, it …

Wright State University Celebration Of Research, Scholarship And Creative Activities Book Of Abstracts Friday, April 8, 2011, Wright State University Office Of Undergraduate Research And Stemm Activities

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

The student abstract booklet is a compilation of abstracts from students' oral and poster presentations at Wright State University's second annual Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 8, 2011.

Eight Criticisms Not To Make About Group Selection, Omar Tonsi Eldakar, David Sloan Wilson

Biology Faculty Articles

Group selection, which was once widely rejected as a significant evolutionary force, is now accepted by all who seriously study the subject. There is still widespread confusion about group selection, however, not only among students and the general public, but among professional evolutionists who do not directly study the subject. We list eight criticisms that are frequently invoked against group selection, which can be permanently laid to rest based upon current knowledge. Experts will always find something to critique about group selection, as for any important subject, but these eight criticisms are not among them. Laying them to rest will …

Impact Of The Proposed Kimberley Lng Precinct On Customary Fishing In The Vicinity Of James Price Point, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Using Euro-American Hunting Data To Assess Western Great Plains Biogeography, 1806-35, Cody Newton

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Historic accounts from the 19th-century western Great Plains contain significant information on Plains ungulates and other animals, particularly as they relate to provisioning the Euro-American travelers. Using data derived from these accounts, a quantitative assessment of the hunting success of the Pike, Long, Glenn, and Dodge expeditions of the early 19th century is presented to ascertain the conditions of these species in the region. These data are then used to assess historiographic models of bison overhunting. This analysis indicates that the western Southern Plains and western Central Plains had differing trajectories of overhunting explained by temporally variable human and environmental …

Wpa News 87 (2011), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Springr 2011), number 87

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Iowa Academy Of Science: The New Bulletin, V07n1, Spring 2011, Iowa Academy Of Science

New Bulletin

Inside This Issue:

--Message from the Executive Director

--123rd Annual meeting of the Iowa Academy of Science

--Candidates for Iowa Academy of Science President

--Candidates for Iowa Academy of Science Board of Directors

--Candidate for Iowa Science Teaching Section Vice Section Chair

--Iowa Science Teaching Section Fall Conference

--Iowa Academy of Science – Election 2011

--Welcome Corporate Members

--IAS Corporate Memberships

--2011 IAS Speaker Series at the Saylorville Visitor Center

--IAS Welcomes Executive Assistant, Debbie Dean

--Wanted: Saylorville Gift Shop Coordinator

--Announcements, Events & Deadlines

Exploring Identity Through Genetic And Genealogical Research: Development Of A Collaborative Course Between Humanities And Biology, Emily F. Schmitt Lavin, James Doan

Biology Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Drafting Human Ancestry: What Does The Neanderthal Genome Tell Us About Hominid Evolution? Commentary On Green Et Al. (2010), Michael Hofreiter

Human Biology

Ten years after the first draft versions of the human genome were
announced, technical progress in both DNA sequencing and ancient DNA
analyses has allowed a research team around Ed Green and Svante Pa¨a¨bo to
complete this task from infinitely more difficult hominid samples: a few
pieces of bone originating from our closest, albeit extinct, relatives, the
Neanderthals. Pulling the Neanderthal sequences out of a sea of contaminating
environmental DNA impregnating the bones and at the same time
avoiding the problems of contamination with modern human DNA is in itself
a remarkable accomplishment. However, the crucial question in the long …

41st Annual Wku Student Research Conference, Student Research Council, Western Kentucky University

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

A Molecular Phylogeny Of Living Primates, Polina L. Perelman, Warren E. Johnson, Christian Roos, Hector Seuanez, Julie E. Horvath, Miguel A. M. Moreira, Bailey Kessing, J. U. Pontius, Melody E. Roelke, Yves Rumpler, Maria P. C. Schneider, Artur Silva, Stephen J. O'Brien, Jill Pecon-Slattery

Biology Faculty Articles

Comparative genomic analyses of primates offer considerable potential to define and understand the processes that mold, shape, and transform the human genome. However, primate taxonomy is both complex and controversial, with marginal unifying consensus of the evolutionary hierarchy of extant primate species. Here we provide new genomic sequence (~8 Mb) from 186 primates representing 61 (~90%) of the described genera, and we include outgroup species from Dermoptera, Scandentia, and Lagomorpha. The resultant phylogeny is exceptionally robust and illuminates events in primate evolution from ancient to recent, clarifying numerous taxonomic controversies and providing new data on human evolution. Ongoing speciation, reticulate …

Performing Pisgah: Endurance Mountain Bikers Generating The National Forest, Cynthia Twyford Fowler

Faculty Scholarship

In Western North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest, the extraordinary performances of endurance athletes imbue public lands with multivocality and sculpt spaces into idealized natures. Endurance mountain bikers generate Pisgah as a meaningful place grounded to specific spaces and particular identities as they perform challenging rides on difficult terrain.

Coming To America: Multiple Origins Of New World Geckos, Tony Gamble, A. M. Bauer, G. R. Colli, E. Greenbaum, T. R. Jackman, Laurie J. Vitt, Andrew M. Simons

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Geckos in the Western Hemisphere provide an excellent model to study faunal assembly at a continental scale. We generated a time-calibrated phylogeny, including exemplars of all New World gecko genera, to produce a biogeographic scenario for the New World geckos. Patterns of New World gecko origins are consistent with almost every biogeographic scenario utilized by a terrestrial vertebrate with different New World lineages showing evidence of vicariance, dispersal via temporary land bridge, overseas dispersal, or anthropogenic introductions. We also recovered a strong relationship between clade age and species diversity, with older New World lineages having more species than more recently …

Walking Box Ranch Planning And Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV participated in three project workshops and one additional meeting to assist in planning and design of the future WBR museum and field/research station.
• Weather station progress included design of programming software that will provide past weather information to website user, two abstracts have been submitted to an energy sustainability meeting, and a paper reviewing energy efficient building envelope components has been prepared and submitted for publication.
• Work has begun on a new education project titled “Multimedia Field Guides for Public Engagement at Walking Box Ranch, Mojave Desert.” The project will develop and disseminate a modern geological and environmental field …

The Missing Link: The Ecology Of The Serpentine And The Implications For East And North Ponds, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: East and North Ponds (2011, 1999, 1996, 1991)

During the fall of 2011, the Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) studied the Serpentine connecting East Pond and North Pond. East and North Ponds are members of the larger seven-lake system known as the Belgrade Lakes, located in central Maine. There are over 5,500 lakes in Maine that contribute $6.7 billion to the economy annually through activities including boating, fishing, swimming etc. Additionally, Maine’s lakes are sources of municipal and agricultural water, act as flood buffers, and host a wide range of plant, animal, and fish life. Lakes in Maine are a crucial part society and should be studied and …

Morphological Convergence Of Shell Shape In Distantly Related Scallop Species (Mollusca: Pectinidae), Alvin Alejandrino, Jeanne M. Serb, Erik Otárola-Castillo, Dean C. Adams

Biology

Morphological convergence is a central concept in evolutionary biology, but convergent patterns remain under-studied in nonvertebrate organisms. Some scallop species exhibit long-distance swimming, a behaviour whose biomechanical requirements probably generate similar selective regimes. We tested the hypothesis that shell shape similarity in long-distance swimming species is a result of convergent evolution. Using landmark-based geometric morphometrics, we quantified shell shape in seven species representing major behavioural habits. All species displayed distinct shell shapes, with the exception of the two long-distance swimmers, whose shells were indistinguishable. These species also displayed reduced morphological variance relative to other taxa. Finally, a phylogenetic simulation revealed …

Can Archeology Survive A Fire?, Jake Delwiche

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Most public lands include not only natural resource values, but also signifi cant cultural resources from both historic and prehistoric occupation. In some cases, the cultural resources are the reason for establishment of a park or monument. Responsibilities of the managers of these lands include protecting these cultural resources and balancing their protection with protection of the natural resources. This is essential to having a good understanding of the potential effect of fire— whether a prescribed fire or a wildfire—on the cultural resources. A recent scientifi c project funded by the Joint Fire Science Program studied the potential impact of …

A Project In Two Parts: Developing Fire Histories For The Eastern U.S. And Creating A Climate-Based Continental Fire Frequency Model To Fill Data Gaps, Christina Frame

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Tree-ring dated fire scars provide long-term records of fire frequency, giving land managers valuable baseline information about the fire regimes that existed prior to Euro-American settlement. However, for the East, fire history data prove diffi cult to acquire because the generally moister climate of the region causes rapid decay of wood. In an endeavor to fill data gaps, the research team collected fire scar data in the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The second part of the project used this newly collected fi re history data combined with previously collected records to parameterize and calibrate …

The Paternal Component Of The ‘‘Healthy Migrant’’ Effect: Fathers’ Natality And Infants’ Low Birth Weight, Ambika Krishnakumar, Sandra D. Lane, Meghan Hall, Evaline Tso, Natasha Pinto, William Suk

Falk College Research Center

This study examines the predictors of birth outcomes among women of European and African ancestry and considers the birthplace of the babies’ fathers (foreign born vs. native born) as a protective factor. This is a secondary data analysis of 146,431 singleton births among women of European and African ancestry, both native-born and foreign-born, in a 21 birth hospital region of Central New York State from 1996 to 2003. Foreign born fathers were found to have 15% fewer low birth weight infants than US-born fathers, after controlling for the race and birthplace of the mother, tobacco use and Medicaid. Although this …

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Sciences Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Syracuse Healthy Start’S Program For Abnormal Flora Management To Reduce Preterm Birth Among Pregnant Women, Emilia H. Koumans, Sandra D. Lane, Richard Aubry, Kathleen Demott, Noah Webster, Brooke A. Levandowski

Falk College Research Center

Randomized trials of bacterial vaginosis (BV) treatment among pregnant women to reduce preterm birth have had mixed results. Among non-pregnant women, BV recurs frequently after treatment. Randomized trials of early BV treatment for pregnant women in which recurrence was retreated have shown promise in reducing preterm birth. Syracuse’s Healthy Start (SHS) program began in 1997; in 1998 prenatal care providers for pregnant women living in high infant mortality zip codes were encouraged to screen for abnormal vaginal flora at the first prenatal visit. Vaginal swabs were sent to a referral hospital laboratory for Gram staining and interpretation. SHS encouraged providers …

Profiles In Science For Science Librarians: "What Lives Where, And Why": Alfred Russel Wallace, And The Field Of Biogeography, Charles H. Smith

DLPS Faculty Publications

Biogeography, the study of animal and plant distribution, has a history extending back to at least the eighteenth century. But it was not until the work of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in the mid-nineteenth century that it really came into its own as a science. Darwin’s importance notwithstanding, it was really Wallace who put the field on the map, and many of today’s research threads can be traced back to his influence. This article provides a summary review of Wallace’s life and work and biogeography as a field of study, including Wallace’s role in its development.

Cover

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Current Status Of Lichen Diversity In Iowa, James T. Colbert

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

New England Faculty And College Students Differ In Their Views About Evolution, Creationism, Intelligent Design, And Religiosity, Guillermo Paz-Y-Miño C, Avelina Espinosa

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Public acceptance of evolution in Northeastern U.S. is the highest nationwide, only 59%. Here, we compare perspectives about evolution, creationism, intelligent design (ID), and religiosity between highly educated New England faculty (n = 244; 90% Ph.D. holders in 40 disciplines at 35 colleges/universities) and college students from public secular (n = 161), private secular (n = 298), and religious (n = 185) institutions: 94/3% of the faculty vs. 64/14% of the students admitted to accepting evolution openly and/or privately, and 82/18% of the faculty vs. 58/42% of the students thought that evolution is definitely true or probably true, respectively. Only …

Seeing The Forest For The Trees: Managing Social Conflict And Forest Restoration, Steven E. Daniels, Jens Emborg, Greg B. Walker

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This paper examines the role that social conflict is likely to play in forest restoration projects. A definition of conflict as “perceived goal interference among interdependent parties” serves as a point of departure for the discussion, and the nature of forest restoration conflict is systematically examined by focusing on each aspect of the definition: perceptions, goal interference, the parties, and their interdependence. Agencies undertaking restoration projects are encouraged to adopt a discourse orientation, wherein they recognize that 1) their public involvement efforts are creating a discourse that can incorporate a wide array of values and voices and 2) groups may …

State Of The Climate In 2010, Jessica Blunden, Derek S. Arndt, Molly O. Baringer

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Several large-scale climate patterns influenced climate conditions and weather patterns across the globe during 2010. The transition from a warm El Niño phase at the beginning of the year to a cool La Niña phase by July contributed to many notable events, ranging from record wetness across much of Australia to historically low Eastern Pacific basin and near-record high North Atlantic basin hurricane activity. The remaining five main hurricane basins experienced below- to well-below-normal tropical cyclone activity. The negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation was a major driver of Northern Hemisphere temperature patterns during 2009/10 winter and again in late …

Proceedings Of The 123rd Annual Meeting Of The Iowa Academy Of Science [Program, 2011], Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Academy of Science Documents

Contents:

Program Summary --- 2-3
Acknowledgements --- 4
Contents --- 5
Welcome --- 5
Iowa Junior Academy of Science Competition --- 6
Geology Special Event Using Geographic Information Systems in Iowa's K-16 Classrooms --- 7
General Session I-Roaming Mars, a Personal Perspective --- 8
Iowa Junior Academy of Science Award Luncheon --- 9
Iowa Academy of Science Business Meeting --- 9
Iowa Academy of Science Volunteers for 2010-2011 --- 10
Symposium A-Unintended Health & Environmental Consequences of Confinement Agriculture --- 11
Symposium B-Investigating Forensic Science --- 12
Symposium C-150th Anniversary-Science and the Civil War --- 13
Symposia Speakers --- 14-15 …

The Birds Of Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt (Polk County, Iowa): Patterns Of Habitat Use And Implications For Management, Keith Summerville, Joel Boyles, Loren Lown

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Despite the fact that many birds are believed to be declining as a result of habitat loss and elimination of historic disturbance regimes, few studies have explored how restoration and management of mixed grassland and woodland systems influence bird communities. In this study, we tested whether habitat size, habitat type, and use of prescribed fire as a management tool affected the species richness and composition of bird communities sampled from 22 restored grassland and woodland sites within Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt (Polk County, Iowa). In 2004-5 bird communities were sampled by walking transects within each site and recording the presence and …

Economics, Behavioral Biology, And Law, Jeffrey E. Stake, Owen D. Jones, Erin O'Hara O'Connor

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This article compares the relevance to law of two unexpectedly similar fields: economics and behavioral biology. It first examines the assumptions, core concepts, methodological tenets, and emphases of the two fields. It then compares the interdisciplinary fields of law and economics, on one hand, with law and behavioral biology, on the other-highlighting not only important similarities but also important differences. The article subsequently explores ways that biological perspectives on human behavior may, among other things, improve economic models and the behavioral insights they generate. The article concludes that although there are important differences between the two fields, the overlaps between …