Evolution and religion : theory, definitions, and the natural selection of religious behavior

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on November 13, 2009).Thesis advisor: Dr. Craig T. Palmer.M.A. University of Missouri--Columbia 2009.Chapter 1 Presents a brief summary of recent theory and research into religion from evolutionary cognitive psychology and behavioral ecology. Chapter 2 addresses the debate over whether religion is an adaptation directly favored by natural selection, or a by-product of other evolved traits. The implications of how religion is defined for how it is explained are also introduced in chapter 2, as well as requirements for building a valid argument for religion as an adaptation. In chapter 3, shifts focus from explanation to that of definition. Critical discussion of appropriate criteria for an accurate definition of religion is presented, existing definition. Chapter 4 presents the results of two studies formulated to test the definition of religion posited in chapter 3. Finally, chapter 5 lays out an explanation of the evolution of religion as a traditional behavior that was directly favored by natural selection for its effects on the descendant-leaving success of ancestral humans.Includes bibliographical references

Teaching Punctuation: Seventh Graders, Mentor Texts, and Commas

In the middle grades, learning about writing mechanics often occurs through inauthentic language drills, which do not expose students to the practical and contextual implementation of punctuation and syntax. This study, conducted with seventeen seventh-grade students, explored how students can gain knowledge of basic conventions by reviewing the writing of a published author to observe the correct placement of punctuation. In this study, students, provided with excerpts from Tomie dePaola’s rendition of The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, were guided to discover how the author used commas to communicate with his readers. Subsequent to the lesson and to assess how much information they had retained, students were asked to describe the different uses of the comma. Results showed that while students needed additional practice to apply their understandings, most were able to recall the five major comma rules. The findings of this study serve as a foundation for further exploration of how mentor texts can be used with other aspects of English language conventions

Rescue fertilization following losses of nitrogen

Precision farming studies are revealing that substantial amounts of fertilizer nitrogen (N) often are lost soon after application. In a surprising number of fields, most of the fertilizer N is lost before it is needed by the crop. Figure 1 (right) shows aerial photographs from a portion of such a field. This field received 125 lb of N/acre as anhydrous ammonia in the fall of 1997. The late spring test indicated that soil nitrate concentrations were less than 10 ppm at the end of May 1998. The aerial photograph (top) taken in early July showed streaks of light-and-dark green plants. The streaks were caused by nonuniform applications of anhydrous ammonia between knives. Most of the plants in the field, however, had run out of N when they needed it most

Is fall nitrogen profitable?

Crops are maturing rapidly this summer and harvest is likely to occur early this year. This may leave plenty of time for application of nitrogen (N) this fall, and many producers will find it hard to resist the opportunity to get a jump on spring work. However, information gathered by using precision farming technologies indicates that these producers are placing their profits at greater risk than has been generally recognized

Natural selection favoring more transmissible HIV detected in United States molecular transmission network.

HIV molecular epidemiology can identify clusters of individuals with elevated rates of HIV transmission. These variable transmission rates are primarily driven by host risk behavior; however, the effect of viral traits on variable transmission rates is poorly understood. Viral load, the concentration of HIV in blood, is a heritable viral trait that influences HIV infectiousness and disease progression. Here, we reconstruct HIV genetic transmission clusters using data from the United States National HIV Surveillance System and report that viruses in clusters, inferred to be frequently transmitted, have higher viral loads at diagnosis. Further, viral load is higher in people in larger clusters and with increased network connectivity, suggesting that HIV in the United States is experiencing natural selection to be more infectious and virulent. We also observe a concurrent increase in viral load at diagnosis over the last decade. This evolutionary trajectory may be slowed by prevention strategies prioritized toward rapidly growing transmission clusters

Feminist LCAs: Finding leverage points for wellbeing within planetary boundaries

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies are valuable tools for identifying high impact processes and redesigning supply chains. However, LCAs have limits, in the sense that they offer insight into relative sustainability and don't question whether a product, or its use, is sustainable in absolute terms. In this intentionally provocative paper, you join Emma, a fictional average American 15-year-old, as she consults an LCA researcher, a sustainable consumption expert and a sociologist to investigate the best way to reduce the environmental impact of her hair removal. This paper presents a streamlined LCA for shaving, waxing and laser and connects this to a socio-material analysis of the history of hair removal in the USA to offer intervention into leverage points beyond Emma's choice of product. Our argument is not that avoiding shaving or waxing or laser is ‘the best’ action an individual could take to lower their environmental impact, instead we highlight how even the smallest activities coalesce into billion-dollar industries globally, with attendant billion tonne emissions. Thus, we utilise some of Danielle Meadows' twelve strategic leverage points to change systems in order to identify other interventions, such as (6) shifting information flows to make LCAs more impactful and accessible; (4) self-organising to normalise hairiness; or (3) changing the goals of the system. For example, valuing wellbeing over profit would arguably lead to regulation preventing medical professionals from marketing painful non-medical procedures. This paper reflects on how individuals make sense of their environmental impact within systems and argues for an increased emphasis on global wellbeing and absolute sustainability