Wired Science shared some news of an interesting panel titled, "What it means to be human" held at this year's World Science Festival in New York City. This week, we saw Michael Tomasello's take on this question. Last month there was the What Makes Us Human conference. We've also read Marc Hauser’s postulates. Wired Science... Continue Reading →
Michael Tomasello on How Humans Are Unique
Michael Tomasello, a well known comparative psychologist, has a column in today's New York Times where he writes on, "How Are Humans Unique?" In the piece, Tomasello argues that our cultural, linguistic, economic and tool-use have all come about because of our tendency for "collective cognition." His argument stems from two of his recent papers,... Continue Reading →
Dopamine Transporter Gene and Primate Social Behavior
Dopamine is a fundamental neurotransmitter and hormone. You may know it as one of the neurotransmitters associated with the limbic system, being released during eating and sex, which causes a sensation of pleasure. But it is more than just a hedonistic chemical, actually many of the functions of the brain are dependent on dopamine. Memory,... Continue Reading →