- NS: Talking evolved from walking in caterpillars
- SD: First direct recording made of mirror neurons in human brain
- SD: Language dysfunction in children may be due to epileptic brain activity
- NYT: Observatory - For some birds, it's not always the same old song
- Telegraph: Video - Migraine leaves woman speaking with Chinese accent
- SD: 'Ancestral Eve' crystal may explain origin of life's left-handedness
- SD: Mathematicians offer elegant solution to evolutionary conundrum
- arXiv: Algorithm reveals secrets of leaf shape
- SD: Sign language study shows multiple brain regions wired for language
- NS: 'Mirror gene' clue to brain's right-to-left links
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
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An article people might find interesting is the following where two researchers suggest that various mental/cognitive disorders may reflect an (evolutionary) struggle between the parents' genes (link below). Of most interest might be the autism/schizophrenia antithesis where these are proposed to be epigenetic poles of the same genes being involved. In the case of schizophrenia, the mother's genes have upset the usual equilibrium, in the case of autism, the father's. Researchers note whereas there is gaze aversion in autism, there is paranoid belief that all eyes are upon the schizophrenic person. Likewise, the autistic person has a very limited development of a theory of mind whereas the schizophrenic person sees intentions and meaning all over the place. Not mentioned but obviously also relevant is the limited expressive language of the autistic person and the excessive expressive language of the schizophrenic. Relevant links are:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/health/research/11brain.html
This research builds upon Haig's (now well supported) theory about the struggle between the mother and fetus during pregnancy -
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/14/health/14preg.html?_r=1)