All posts tagged: Darwin

Jim Al-Khalili receives Darwin Day Medal

Jim Al-Khalili receives Darwin Day Medal

Published by skeptic

On Friday night, Humanists UK hosted the 2025 Darwin Day Lecture ‘The Evolution of the Human Brain,’ delivered by physicist, author, and broadcaster Professor Jim Al-Khalili.  The event explored the history of brain evolution, from the emergence of neurons to the complexity of human cognition, and looked ahead to the implications of artificial intelligence on human identity. The event was chaired by paleobiologist and Humanists UK patron, Professor Anjali Goswami. The story of the human brain Jim traced the brain’s evolution from its earliest origins to the complexity of human cognition. A major turning point was the Cambrian Explosion (530 million years ago), which saw a surge in life’s diversity and the emergence of the first vertebrates – with backbones, spinal cords, and early brains. As life moved onto land, ‘visual processing’ adapted to new environments, and mammals evolved larger, more complex brains. Fossils of Morganucodon, a tiny shrew-like creature, reveal early signs of the neocortex, the region responsible for ‘problem-solving and higher-order thinking’. A key leap came with social intelligence. As primates formed larger …

Natural selection should have eliminated giraffes. What if Darwin got it all wrong?

Natural selection should have eliminated giraffes. What if Darwin got it all wrong?

Published by skeptic

The giraffes at Paris Zoological Park, Paris 12ᵉ, April 3, 2024. GUILLAUME BLOT FOR « LE MONDE » Each and every one of us has experienced days that make us realize that life is definitely a challenge at every turn. Whether it’s a cyclist who nearly crashes into you by running a light, a colleague who speeds up to get in the elevator before you, or a customer at the supermarket who takes advantage of a momentary distraction on your part to dash toward the self-checkout machine you were heading for. Competition is omnipresent in our daily lives: at school, at work, in sports. And, as if we didn’t have enough adversaries, personal development encourages us to fight against the lazy part of ourselves, through injunctions to “surpass ourselves,” “become the best version of ourselves,” or “work on ourselves.” The goal is to perform better in our relationships with others and to become better individuals. This dynamic is frequently justified by the analogy with nature, in which animals are engaged in a permanent struggle for survival. The …

Sorry, Darwin: Most male mammals aren’t bigger than females

Sorry, Darwin: Most male mammals aren’t bigger than females

Published by skeptic

The idea that most biologically male members of a species are physically larger than the females goes back to Charles Darwin’s 1871 book The Descent of Man. While this is typically true for some species including gorillas, buffalo, and elephants, it is not necessarily a one size fits all fact.  A study published March 12 in the journal Nature Communications found that the males in most mammalian species are not bigger than the females. Monomorphism–or both sexes being roughly the same size–is very common and females can be larger in some cases. The authors suggest that biases in scientific literature from over more than a century and a focus on more charismatic species like primates and carnivores has likely led to this misconception. A persistent narrative For some mammals, physical differences in size do vary depending on competition for mates and the differences in how mothers and fathers invest time and energy in their offspring. Male lions and baboons typically engage in physical competition for mates and the males are larger than the females. It …

Row over possible River Cam bathing spot frequented by Darwin and Lord Byron | Rivers

Row over possible River Cam bathing spot frequented by Darwin and Lord Byron | Rivers

Published by skeptic

The waters of the River Cam are an unsettling lurid green on a dull day. The river that flows through Cambridge and has been enjoyed by swimmers including Lord Byron, Charles Darwin, Virginia Woolf and Roger Deakin is increasingly polluted from sewage discharges and phosphates and nitrates from farmland. Now swimmers hope that the government designating a short stretch of the river at Sheep’s Green as “bathing waters” will provide the impetus to clean it up. The government will next month decide whether to approve up to 27 bathing water sites in England including four spots on the River Dart in Devon, two on Lake Coniston in the Lake District and popular riverine swimming places on the Severn, Stour, Ribble, Thames, Tone and Wharfe. As well as encouraging increasingly popular wild swimming, supporters of the bathing waters designation say that the weekly water quality monitoring it necessitates would provide the evidence to legally require water companies to tackle pollution. Opponents argue that the water companies are already legally obliged to tackle pollution and designating polluted …

Darwin Núñez’s attacking chaos is carrying Liverpool’s title charge | Liverpool

Darwin Núñez’s attacking chaos is carrying Liverpool’s title charge | Liverpool

Published by skeptic

The bolts may be fraying, panels flying off, ball bearings skittering along in its wake, but Liverpool’s Premier League season continues to barrel along. A 4-1 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium came soundtracked by pinging tendons and twanging knees as first Curtis Jones then Diogo Jota left the field, both in a state of some distress, to be followed by Darwin Núñez at half-time. Three more names to add to that ever-lengthening sick list; and in Núñez, in particular, a player Jürgen Klopp and his team really won’t want to lose right now. Núñez has trodden a fascinating path across his 18 months at Anfield, from new hope to online snark target, to his status now as Lord of Misrule, an increasingly potent force of happy attacking chaos. There may be shanks and bobbles and scuffs along the way, but the fact remains the last time Liverpool lost with Núñez in the starting XI was Real Madrid in March last year. He remains a key reason why Liverpool are top scorers in the league, …

RAU to compile digital ‘time capsule’ of historic plant collection with ties to Darwin

RAU to compile digital ‘time capsule’ of historic plant collection with ties to Darwin

Published by skeptic

A centuries old collection of more than 10,000 dried and pressed plant specimens is soon to be digitised for the benefit of students at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in Gloucestershire. With the help of funding from Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society and the university’s own Cirencester Fund, volunteers will join students and staff in photographing, recording and cataloguing the RAU’s delicate paper-mounted records. The majority of specimens date back to a period between the 1820s and 1920s, with some later additions between 1950 and 1970. Almost all were collected in and around Gloucestershire. Dr Kelly Hemmings, associate professor in ecology at the RAU, is heading up the project. Visit Hampshire Biz News for bright, upbeat and positive business news from the county “Natural science organisations are recognising the immense value of historic herbarium collections for tackling current environmental issues”, she said. “Our specimens give the location and date at which they were collected helping us to piece together patterns of biodiversity change over the last two centuries. “The research possibilities are endless – branching out into climate change, …

Liverpool go top after Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota finish off Burnley | Premier League

Liverpool go top after Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota finish off Burnley | Premier League

Published by Sam

It somehow took until the 90th minute for Liverpool to put the result beyond doubt when Diogo Jota fired into the bottom corner to send his side top amid a collection of missed chances. There was a chasm of quality between them and Burnley, as one further proved their credentials as title challengers while the other is set for a battle at the wrong end of the table. The only surprising element about Liverpool’s victory at Turf Moor, their eighth in nine trips to Burnley, was the fact the margin was not greater. Poor finishing, the intervention of the referee, Paul Tierney, and James Trafford’s reflexes kept things respectable. Vincent Kompany was on the scoresheet 10 years ago when Liverpool last lost on Boxing Day. There was little doubt of the victor at Turf Moor as the home defence backed off Harvey Elliott early on, allowing him to run through and shoot from the edge of the area, which Trafford did well to save. Lessons, as has been the case all season for Burnley, were …

Darwin Núñez swaps chaos for control but needs a statement showing | Liverpool

Published by Sam

The first touch is a little heavy. Still, he retains possession and drives into the right channel with a billowing burst of pace. Gets tackled by Nathan Aké. Writhes around theatrically on the turf for a while, grimacing and holding his ankle. Has a little argument with the referee. Chases down a long ball as the next phase of play resets. Almost collides head-on with a teammate. Diverts his run into the penalty area. Scores an awkward header from four yards. Tears towards the corner in celebration. Rips off his shirt. Gets booked. Darwin Núñez’s first taste of English football came against Manchester City in the 2022 Community Shield. In retrospect this late passage of play – one minute of pure, liquid Darwin – was the moment the template was set. The hurricane. The cult hero. The agent of chaos. Andy Carroll with a slightly bigger price tag and a similar command of English. From the moment Núñez arrived on these shores, accompanied by a slew of unflattering social media clips and lazy comparisons with …