Category: Social Science

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Genes and theories

Genes and theories.

This way aids comprehension,

but not acceptance.

 

Learning about science can frequently be confusing and evolution is one of the most misunderstood topics in biology. Often in science different topics overlap and knowledge of one area can help understanding of another.

Mead et al (2017) investigated the order in which genetics and evolution are taught to 14-16 year old students. If genetics was taught first then students gained a greater understanding of both evolution and genetics – a simple, free and minimally disruptive alteration to education that has a major positive effect on student learning.

However, whilst teaching genetics first improved student understanding of evolution, the teaching order itself had no effect on student acceptance of the theory of evolution. Instead it seems that authority figures like parents, teachers, religious leaders and the popular media are more influential with whether students accept the theory of evolution or not.

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Hunger no more

Hungarian men

hungering for a snack should

hunger no more – bugs!

 

A questionnaire of consumers in Hungary found that almost 60% of respondents were aware of eating insects as an alternative to meat, however high food neophobia is still a barrier for actually consuming insects. Men were more likely to consider trying insects than women, but a ‘willingness to eat insect-based food products could be increased by giving more information to consumers’. Gere et al, 2017.

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How safe the trader?

How safe the trader?

The agricultural costs

of invasive pests

 

Invasive pest species threaten global agriculture and can devastate crops. A study of almost 1,300 agricultural invasive species and 124 countries suggests that whilst the biggest agricultural producers (USA and China) “could experience the greatest absolute costs from further species invasion”, their trade patterns mean they are also the greatest potential source of invasive species and so represent the greatest threat to the rest of the world. In contrast, the countries most vulnerable to invasive species were found to be from Sub-Saharan Africa. Paini et al, 2017.

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Ancient female dynasty

DNA reveals

ancient female dynasty

of Chaco Canyon.

 

Hereditary leadership is often an indicator of early political complexity and governance. Kennett et al (2017) used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA to identify an elite matriline that persisted between 800 and 1130 AD in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.