http://discovermagazine.com Science, Technology, and The Future http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/19-monkey-see-do-connect http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/19-monkey-see-do-connect We often think if ourselves as Robinson Crusoes sitting on separate islands, we’re all interconnected, both bodily and emotionally. This may be an odd thing to say in the West, with its tradition of individual freedom and liberty, but Homo sapiens is remarkably easily swayed in one emotional direction or another by its fellows. This is precisely where empathy and sympathy start—not in the higher regions of imagination, or the ability to consciously reconstruct how we would feel if we were in someone else’s situation. It began much more simply, with the synchronization of bodies: running when others run, laughing when others laugh, crying when others cry, or yawning when others yawn. Most of us have reached the incredibly advanced stage at which we yawn even at the mere mention of yawning—as you may be doing right now!—but this is only after lots of face-to-face experience. Yawn contagion, too, works across species. Virtually all animals show the peculiar “paroxystic respiratory cycle characterized by a standard cascade of movements over a five- to ten-second period,” which is the way the yawn has been defined. I once attended a lecture on involuntary pandiculation (the medical term for stretching and yawning) with slides of horses, lions, and monkeys—and soon the entire audience was pandiculating. Since it so easily triggers a chain reaction, the yawn reflex opens a window onto mood transmission, an essential part of empathy. This makes it all the more intriguing that chimpanzees yawn when they see others do so. Yawn contagion reflects the power of unconscious synchrony, which is as deeply ingrained in us as in many other animals. Synchrony may be expressed in the copying of small body movements, such as a yawn, but also occurs on a larger scale, involving travel or movement. It is not hard to see its survival value. You’re in a flock of birds and one bird suddenly takes off. You have no time to figure out what’s going on: You take off at the same instant. Other wise, you may be lunch. Frans de Waal http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/19-monkey-see-do-connect/key_image Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:05:00 -0600 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:05:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/nov/17-the-brain-humanity.s-other-basic-instinct-math http://discovermagazine.com/2009/nov/17-the-brain-humanity.s-other-basic-instinct-math New research suggests that math has evolved its way right into our neurons—and monkeys', too. Carl Zimmer http://discovermagazine.com/2009/nov/17-the-brain-humanity.s-other-basic-instinct-math/key_image Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:35:00 -0600 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:35:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/nov/darwin.s-great-blunder-why-good-for-world http://discovermagazine.com/2009/nov/darwin.s-great-blunder-why-good-for-world Darwin is often hailed as a genius—but in venerating Darwin the man, have we stolen steam from the (correct) idea that Darwinism is obvious to begin with? Bruno Maddox http://discovermagazine.com/2009/nov/darwin.s-great-blunder-why-good-for-world/key_image Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:30:00 -0500 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:30:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/31-complicated-world-of-ancient-humans http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/31-complicated-world-of-ancient-humans Recent digs show long-distance trade and complex social structures were around for longer than archaeologists thought. Sam Kissinger http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/31-complicated-world-of-ancient-humans/key_image Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:00:00 -0500 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:00:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/27-mummy-doctor-frank-ruhli http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/27-mummy-doctor-frank-ruhli Since 2005, Swiss pathologist Frank Rühli has focused on the cause of death for patients who died thousands of years ago. Amy Barth http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/27-mummy-doctor-frank-ruhli/key_image Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:15:00 -0500 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:15:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/05-unearthing-the-mayan-creation-myth http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/05-unearthing-the-mayan-creation-myth Researchers find that the tale of the "Hero Twins" goes back more than 2,000 years. Sam Kissinger http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/05-unearthing-the-mayan-creation-myth/key_image Sat, 16 May 2009 12:40:00 -0500 Sat, 16 May 2009 12:40:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/15-big-similarities-and-quirky-differences-between-our-left-and-right-brains http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/15-big-similarities-and-quirky-differences-between-our-left-and-right-brains A broken symmetry from our evolutionary heritage is part of what makes us human. Carl Zimmer http://discovermagazine.com/2009/may/15-big-similarities-and-quirky-differences-between-our-left-and-right-brains/key_image Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/20-things-you-didn.t-know-about-money http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/20-things-you-didn.t-know-about-money 11) In a study last year, researchers found more cocaine residue on U.S. bills than on any other currency. Also found on money: staphylococcus bacteria and fecal matter. 17) The world’s first ATM accepted only checks laced with identifying traces of radioactive carbon-14. The inventor claimed users “would have to eat 136,000 checks” for the radioactivity to have any dangerous effects. Jason Stahl http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/20-things-you-didn.t-know-about-money/key_image Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:45:00 -0500 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:45:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/19-dna-agrees-with-all-the-other-science-darwin-was-right http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/19-dna-agrees-with-all-the-other-science-darwin-was-right Molecular biologist Sean Carroll shows how evolution happens, one snippet of DNA at a time Pamela Weintraub; photographs by Saverio Truglia http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/19-dna-agrees-with-all-the-other-science-darwin-was-right/key_image Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:15:00 -0600 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:15:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/09-they-dont-make-homo-sapiens-like-they-used-to http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/09-they-dont-make-homo-sapiens-like-they-used-to Our species—and individual races—have recently made big evolutionary changes to adjust to new pressures. Kathleen McAuliffe http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/09-they-dont-make-homo-sapiens-like-they-used-to/key_image Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:20:00 -0600 Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:20:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/04-discover-does-darwin http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/04-discover-does-darwin The future of Homo sapiens, genetic proof of evolution, the next Galapagos, and more. http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/04-discover-does-darwin/key_image Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:10:00 -0600 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:10:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/28-year-in-human-origins http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/28-year-in-human-origins Ancient computers, evolving the perfect canoe, the "hobbit" smackdown, and more. http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/28-year-in-human-origins/key_image Sun, 28 Dec 2008 10:00:00 -0600 Sun, 28 Dec 2008 10:00:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/008 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/008 Lowly, simpleminded, Neanderthals? Hardly! New research shows that our ancestors were a highly sophisticated bunch, from their diets to their tools. Jessica Ruvinsky http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/008/key_image Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:00:00 -0600 Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:00:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/010 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/010 Several studies sharpen the picture of life and migration through the Arctic and into the New World. http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/010/key_image Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:50:00 -0600 Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:50:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/015 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/015 An anthropologist has discovered an astounding network of 800-year-old towns and settlements in the Amazon Basin that rival even the small city-states of ancient Greece. Jane Bosveld http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/015/key_image Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:50:00 -0600 Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:50:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/036 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/036 Evolution (and reason) are winning the war in public schools, but that doesn't mean creationism is losing every battle. A recent poll shows just how many teachers still don't believe the scientific evidence. Jocelyn Rice http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/036/key_image Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:15:00 -0600 Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:15:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/066 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/066 A new study finds that, over a period of 2,500 years, functional traits of Polynesian canoes changed much more slowly than decorations, suggesting the functional elements were subject to natural selection. Nicholas Bakalar http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/066/key_image Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:15:00 -0600 Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:15:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/064 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/064 Should apes, our closest animal relatives, have rights similar to humans? The Spanish Parliament thinks so, and has now granted those rights. Apoorva Mandavilli http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/064/key_image Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:15:00 -0600 Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:15:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/076 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/076 A fascinating new fossil suggests early humans arrived in Europe sooner and thrived there for hundreds of thousands of years longer than previously suspected. Karen Wright http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/076/key_image Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0600 Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/077 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/077 A hundred years after its' discovery, the Antikythera mechanism is finally revealed for what it is: a complex and remarkable calendar. Andrew Curry http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/077/key_image Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0600 Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/085 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/085 So you've found an 18,000-year-old hominid skeleton that's just three feet tall, with a tiny head and massive feet. Is it human? Scientists have been working to find the answer. Jane Bosveld http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/085/key_image Mon, 08 Dec 2008 07:30:00 -0600 Mon, 08 Dec 2008 07:30:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/084 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/084 How soon after humans started domesticating animals did they learn to harness them and collect milk? A new study claims to have found the answer. Andrew Curry http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/084/key_image Mon, 08 Dec 2008 07:30:00 -0600 Mon, 08 Dec 2008 07:30:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/089 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/089 Just how long ago did ancient humans discover the bow and arrow? A team of archaeologists set out to find out. Jocelyn Rice http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/089/key_image Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0600 Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/096 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/096 Imagine sailing nearly 4,000 miles on nothing more than a balsa-wood raft with a sail. If you were an Ecuadorean sea trader 1,000 years ago, that's precisely what you'd be doing. Andrew Grant http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/096/key_image Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:45:00 -0600 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:45:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/dec/27-three-diseases-we-can-blame-on-our-ancient-ancestors http://discovermagazine.com/2008/dec/27-three-diseases-we-can-blame-on-our-ancient-ancestors Plenty has been written about the causes of ADHD, high blood pressure, obesity, and other disorders. But could it be that these modern medical problems were actually crutches that enabled our ancestors to survive? Emily Anthes http://discovermagazine.com/2008/dec/27-three-diseases-we-can-blame-on-our-ancient-ancestors/key_image Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:30:00 -0600 Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:30:00 -0600 Print Article