Feasibility Study of Fish Passage Facilities In the James River, Richmond, Virginia

This is a feasibility study on the construction and maintenance of fish passage facilities in the Richmond area of the James River

Implicit Essentialism: Genetic Concepts Are Implicitly Associated with Fate Concepts

Genetic essentialism is the tendency for people to think in more essentialist ways upon encountering genetic concepts. The current studies assessed whether genetic essentialist biases would also be evident at the automatic level. In two studies, using different versions of the Implicit Association Test [1], we found that participants were faster to categorize when genes and fate were linked, compared to when these two concepts were kept separate and opposing. In addition to the wealth of past findings of genetic essentialism with explicit and deliberative measures, these biases appear to be also evident with implicit measure

Ethnobotany genomics - discovery and innovation in a new era of exploratory research

We present here the first use of DNA barcoding in a new approach to ethnobotany we coined "ethnobotany genomics". This new approach is founded on the concept of 'assemblage' of biodiversity knowledge, which includes a coming together of different ways of knowing and valorizing species variation in a novel approach seeking to add value to both traditional knowledge (TK) and scientific knowledge (SK). We employed contemporary genomic technology, DNA barcoding, as an important tool for identifying cryptic species, which were already recognized ethnotaxa using the TK classification systems of local cultures in the Velliangiri Hills of India. This research is based on several case studies in our lab, which define an approach to that is poised to evolve quickly with the advent of new ideas and technology. Our results show that DNA barcoding validated several new cryptic plant species to science that were previously recognized by TK classifications of the Irulas and Malasars, and were lumped using SK classification. The contribution of the local aboriginal knowledge concerning plant diversity and utility in India is considerable; our study presents new ethnomedicine to science. Ethnobotany genomics can also be used to determine the distribution of rare species and their ecological requirements, including traditional ecological knowledge so that conservation strategies can be implemented. This is aligned with the Convention on Biological Diversity that was signed by over 150 nations, and thus the world's complex array of human-natural-technological relationships has effectively been re-organized

The Transmission of Early Christian Thought: Toward a Cognitive Psychological Model

This article uses current developments in cognitive science to explore the emergence of early Christian religion. In particular, it considers Sperber's epidemiology model, Rubin's serial recall model, ritual form theory and Boyer's theory of religious concepts for understanding the transmission of early Christian thought. Whereas Sperber's approach focusses on ideas (internal representations), Rubin concentrates on the transmission of texts (public representations). Two preliminary hypotheses are put forward in an attempt to apply cognitive scientific research to formative Christianity: the cognitive relevance hypothesis about core christological concepts, and the optimal transmission hypothesis addressing the balance of tradition and conceptual innovation