Large swaths of the Internet have fallen under the spell of Baby Yoda, and I guess I’m not immune to those charms either. (Yes, I recognize they’re not actually young Yoda, but the character doesn’t have an actual name and Baby Yoda has a satisfying lilt.) Actually, part of the charm is intrinsic to our biology and psychology as humans; certain features common to human babies, like big eyes and proportionately large heads, read as cute to nearly all of us across a variety of contexts. One might expect baby chimps and monkeys to elicit a paternal response, but even creatures like squids which have few features in common with mammals, or inanimate objects like Pop! vinyls, or puppets of fictional 50-year-old aliens can exploit our neural pathways to get an “Awww.”
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developmental biology
Science Corner: Welcome to the Human Club
In What Evolution Is, Ernst Mayr floats the idea that humans are born 17 months premature. I don’t think he intends to critique humans or human development; he is simply describing a difference between humans and primates like chimpanzees. Our neurological development is not very far along at birth; baby chimps are much more capable. Maybe you’re not familiar with baby chimps, but perhaps you’ve seen (video of) a baby deer or horse or giraffe tentatively taking its first steps within hours of birth; that’s a skill humans need a year to be ready for. That’s the price we’ve paid for greater capabilities mediated by a proportionately larger brain; we have to wait longer for the full functionality and spend more time taking care of our infants.
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Science Reader Question: Putting the Biology in Evolutionary Biology
We’ve been taking a look at what an evolutionary natural history implies about God’s nature, human nature, and other theological topics. Last week I addressed some of the benefits of an evolutionary perspective. I think affirming evolution doesn’t mean settling for an otherwise undesirable position out of obligation to science; I believe looking at the world through an evolutionary lens is actually consistent with the narrative of scripture. At the same time, I am a biologist and this is a science column, so I’d like to wrap up by talking a little science.
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Science Corner: Viral Frenemies
It’s hard not to think of viruses as our enemies in some fashion. Whether it’s fictional pathogens like the one in Contagion or real ones like ebola, most of us only encounter or think about viruses when they are making us sick. And viruses do make lots of people sick, sometimes fatally, so that impression is not entirely unjustified. As a result, a finding like this one about a virus making a constructive contribution to human embryonic development may be difficult to accept. Admittedly, the “puppet master” language in the news item doesn’t help matters either. [Read more…] about Science Corner: Viral Frenemies