Anthropology.net

As readers here may be aware, recent reports from the world of neuroscience with an anthropological slant are assembled every Wednesday over at Neuroanthropology, and this week’s edition includes, amongst many others:

Chris Kelty et al., Outlaw Biology? Public Participation in the Age of Big Bio
Looks like a fascinating symposium this coming Friday and Saturday (Jan 20th & 30th) at UCLA. Plus just a fun site to explore.

Mary Hrovat, Civilization Founded on Beer?
“Patrick McGovern, an archaeologist who studies human exploration of fermented beverages, believes that it might have been the desire for reliable access to alcohol, not food, that spurred the farming revolution that swept Neolithic culture…”

Eugene Raikhel, More on Exporting American Madness
Somatosphere rounds up the latest reactions to Ethan Watters’ book on the globalization of American models of mental illness, including a useful summary of Watters’ latest piece in New Scientist.

To read the rest of the linked stories, just head over to Neuroanthropology, where you’ll also be able to catch this:

Bill Yates, The Uniqueness of Humans: TED Talk by Robert Sapolsky
What makes humans unique. Includes a video with the neuroendocrinologist who’s really an anthropologist in disguise.

I’ll add some comment on that last one in due course, but also of note is a spate of posts towards the end, featuring video-gaming and its mooted effects on the brain, as well as a look inside some of those cyber-scapes. Build Me A World is definitely worth checking, for example.

image: Belly of the Beast by  Ben Mauro via  Fan Made Bioshock 2 Artwork