by Christine Kenneally BH | May 8, 2013 | Ancient DNA, Ancient genomics, Australopithecus afarensis, Brain, Complexity, Consciousness, Evolution, Extinction, Fire, First human..., Genes, History, Homo erectus, Homo floresiensis, Homo habilis, Humans, Mitochondrial DNA, Neandertals, Prehistoric humans, Science, Social complexity/connection, Soul/Free Will, Walking
I reviewed four new science books for The New York Times. They span millions of years, beginning with the birth of humanity and ending with a serious look at...
by Christine Kenneally BH | Aug 31, 2011 | Ancient DNA, Books, Forensic anthropology, Genes, J.J. Kenneally, Mitochondrial DNA, Ned Kelly, Odontology, Relics, Skeletal remains
Consider the case of Ned Kelly's skull. You can read my article about the bushranger's DNA and the solution to this decades-old mystery at The New York Times. Here, the August 22, 1880 article in The New York Times reporting the capture of the Kelly...
by Christine Kenneally BH | Jun 20, 2011 | Brain, Complexity, Evolution, Genes, History, Populations, Science
The sins of the fathers may be visited on the deoxyribose nucleic acids of the sons. I wrote about the "Epigenetics: The Ultimate Mystery of Inheritance" for Slate.
by Christine Kenneally BH | Jul 8, 2010 | Co-operation, Common sense, Complexity, Demographics, First human..., Food and Drink, Genes, Populations
Since 2004, I’ve spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling thinking about tsunamis and earthquakes. The monster wave that hit Indonesia that year was caused by a earthquake so violent it shifted the axis of the earth a few centimeters. Now I can’t get this out of my...
by Christine Kenneally BH | Oct 5, 2009 | Altruism, Baboons, Chimpanzees, Co-operation, Complexity, Evolution, Genes, Social complexity/connection
Frans de Waal, director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta, believes that it's just as natural to be nice as it is be mean. Man may be wolf to man, as the old saying has it, but de Waal points out with casual...
by Christine Kenneally BH | Oct 14, 2008 | Brain, Complexity, Evolution, Genes
The Bengalese finch is an aviary bird, bred over centuries for its attractive plumage. It comes in various combinations of white, black and brown. One particularly pretty version is silver. It is also prized for its gregarious and easy-going nature and its complex...