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From: pearl on 27 Dec 2005 14:33 "Leif Erikson" <jackball(a)phs.con> Faking quotes, forged posts, lies, filth, harassment. http://www.iol.ie/~creature/boiled%20ball.html The Socialised Psychopath or Sociopath http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/serial.htm#Sociopath
From: ant and dec on 28 Dec 2005 05:20 pearl wrote: > "Leif Erikson" <pipes(a)thedismalscience.net> wrote in message news:kA_rf.719$M%4.303(a)newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net... >> ant and dec wrote: >> >>> S. Maizlich wrote: >>> >>>> ant and dec wrote: >>>> >>>>> pearl wrote: > <..> >>>>>> Proc Biol Sci. 1998 Oct 22;265(1409):1933-7. >>>>>> Visual specialization and brain evolution in primates. >>>>>> Barton RA. >>>>>> Department of Anthropology, University of Durham, UK. >>>>>> >>>>>> Several theories have been proposed to explain the evolution of >>>>>> species differences in brain size, but no consensus has emerged. >>>>>> One unresolved question is whether brain size differences are a >>>>>> result of neural specializations or of biological constraints >>>>>> affecting the whole brain. Here I show that, among primates, >>>>>> brain size variation is associated with visual specialization. >>>>>> Primates with large brains for their body size have relatively >>>>>> expanded visual brain areas, including the primary visual cortex >>>>>> and lateral geniculate nucleus. Within the visual system, it is, in >>>>>> particular, one functionally specialized pathway upon which >>>>>> selection has acted: evolutionary changes in the number of >>>>>> neurons in parvocellular, but not magnocellular, layers of the >>>>>> lateral geniculate nucleus are correlated with changes in both >>>>>> brain size and ecological variables (diet and social group size). >>>>>> Given the known functions of the parvocellular pathway, these >>>>>> results suggest that the relatively large brains of frugivorous >>>>>> species are products of selection on the ability to perceive >>>>>> and select fruits using specific visual cues such as colour. >>>>>> The separate correlation between group size and visual brain >>>>>> evolution, on the other hand, may indicate the visual basis of >>>>>> social information processing in the primate brain. >>>>>> >>>>>> PMID: 9821360 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] >>>>>> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9821360&dopt=Abstract >>>>> Thanks again. > > My pleasure. Thanks for bringing it up. The "Christmas > Lecture" on Ch5 is frankly driving me up the wall. grrr. > >>>>> I have moved my position on whether meat had a major part to play in >>>>> human evolution. I will read more, but on balance there seems little >>>>> evidence to support that it did. > > Apart from helping humans survive times of scarcity, ..no. > snip I've been looking for more evidence of brain development and came across this article "Evolution of the brainstem orofacial motor system in primates: a comparative study of trigeminal, facial, and hypoglossal nuclei" from the Journal of Human Evolution. It's currently free on the following link. It looks at brain stem development in terms of volume and grey level index etc, and comparing these to the function of oral-facial muscles. As a lay person it would seem to support the theory that brain development in hominids is related to visual development, in this case visual communication. http://tinyurl.com/ckxq9 Conclusions The results of this study reveal a mosaic of conservative and derived traits in the orofacial motor nuclei of primates. In general, the volume and neuropil space in these nuclei were closely correlated with overall size variables, a finding that emphasizes the important role of developmental constraint in determination of the volume and cytoarchitecture of these brainstem nuclei. We tested several hypotheses relating the structure of the orofacial motor nuclei to functional and phylogenetic specializations. For the most part, however, variation in these motor nuclei was not clearly associated with such adaptations. After controlling for phylogenetic bias, there was no apparent relationship between the neuroanatomic organization of these nuclei with socioecological variables, such as social group size or the percentage of leaves in the diet. In addition, despite phylogenetic variation in the masticatory system as evident by mandibular symphysis fusion in anthropoids, the scaling of Vmo did not differ between primate suborders. Our analyses also did not find evidence to support the hypothesis that the human hypoglossal motor system is uniquely reorganized to facilitate articulate speech. In fact, orang-utans displayed relatively larger hypoglossal nucleus volumes than humans. Nonetheless, we found several instances where taxa exhibited significant departures from conservative allometric scaling patterns. A grade shift was observed in the scaling of XII volume such that the strepsirrhine regression line had a higher elevation than the haplorhine line. In addition, VII volume scaled with a steeper slope in haplorhines compared to strepsirrhines, perhaps reflecting a difference between these phylogenetic groups in the developmental mechanisms that regulate VII motoneuron proliferation and subsequent elimination. Hominids, furthermore, were found to have significantly larger VII volumes than predicted for nonhominid haplorhines of their medulla volume. Taken together, these phylogenetic specializations of VII may be related to variation in facial muscle differentiation and increased descending inputs from neocortical areas. These modifications may constitute a neuroanatomic substrate for the evolution of fine motor control to the facial muscles of expression in these taxa in association with increased emphasis on gestural modes of communication utilizing the visual channel.
From: pearl on 28 Dec 2005 09:38 "ant and dec" <ant(a)dec.itv.com> wrote in message news:41f76qF1ejccqU1(a)individual.net... > pearl wrote: <..> > >>>>>> Proc Biol Sci. 1998 Oct 22;265(1409):1933-7. > >>>>>> Visual specialization and brain evolution in primates. > >>>>>> Barton RA. > >>>>>> Department of Anthropology, University of Durham, UK. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> Several theories have been proposed to explain the evolution of > >>>>>> species differences in brain size, but no consensus has emerged. > >>>>>> One unresolved question is whether brain size differences are a > >>>>>> result of neural specializations or of biological constraints > >>>>>> affecting the whole brain. Here I show that, among primates, > >>>>>> brain size variation is associated with visual specialization. > >>>>>> Primates with large brains for their body size have relatively > >>>>>> expanded visual brain areas, including the primary visual cortex > >>>>>> and lateral geniculate nucleus. Within the visual system, it is, in > >>>>>> particular, one functionally specialized pathway upon which > >>>>>> selection has acted: evolutionary changes in the number of > >>>>>> neurons in parvocellular, but not magnocellular, layers of the > >>>>>> lateral geniculate nucleus are correlated with changes in both > >>>>>> brain size and ecological variables (diet and social group size). > >>>>>> Given the known functions of the parvocellular pathway, these > >>>>>> results suggest that the relatively large brains of frugivorous > >>>>>> species are products of selection on the ability to perceive > >>>>>> and select fruits using specific visual cues such as colour. > >>>>>> The separate correlation between group size and visual brain > >>>>>> evolution, on the other hand, may indicate the visual basis of > >>>>>> social information processing in the primate brain. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> PMID: 9821360 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] > >>>>>> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9821360&dopt=Abstract <..> > > I've been looking for more evidence of brain development and came across > this article "Evolution of the brainstem orofacial motor system in > primates: a comparative study of trigeminal, facial, and hypoglossal > nuclei" from the Journal of Human Evolution. > > It's currently free on the following link. > > It looks at brain stem development in terms of volume and grey level > index etc, and comparing these to the function of oral-facial muscles. > > As a lay person it would seem to support the theory that brain > development in hominids is related to visual development, in this case > visual communication. > > http://tinyurl.com/ckxq9 Yes. Very interesting. Thank you. > Conclusions > > The results of this study reveal a mosaic of conservative and derived > traits in the orofacial motor nuclei of primates. In general, the volume > and neuropil space in these nuclei were closely correlated with overall > size variables, a finding that emphasizes the important role of > developmental constraint in determination of the volume and > cytoarchitecture of these brainstem nuclei. We tested several hypotheses > relating the structure of the orofacial motor nuclei to functional and > phylogenetic specializations. For the most part, however, variation in > these motor nuclei was not clearly associated with such adaptations. > After controlling for phylogenetic bias, there was no apparent > relationship between the neuroanatomic organization of these nuclei with > socioecological variables, such as social group size or the percentage > of leaves in the diet. In addition, despite phylogenetic variation in > the masticatory system as evident by mandibular symphysis fusion in > anthropoids, the scaling of Vmo did not differ between primate > suborders. Our analyses also did not find evidence to support the > hypothesis that the human hypoglossal motor system is uniquely > reorganized to facilitate articulate speech. In fact, orang-utans > displayed relatively larger hypoglossal nucleus volumes than humans. > Nonetheless, we found several instances where taxa exhibited significant > departures from conservative allometric scaling patterns. A grade shift > was observed in the scaling of XII volume such that the strepsirrhine > regression line had a higher elevation than the haplorhine line. In > addition, VII volume scaled with a steeper slope in haplorhines compared > to strepsirrhines, perhaps reflecting a difference between these > phylogenetic groups in the developmental mechanisms that regulate VII > motoneuron proliferation and subsequent elimination. Hominids, > furthermore, were found to have significantly larger VII volumes than > predicted for nonhominid haplorhines of their medulla volume. Taken > together, these phylogenetic specializations of VII may be related to > variation in facial muscle differentiation and increased descending > inputs from neocortical areas. These modifications may constitute a > neuroanatomic substrate for the evolution of fine motor control to the > facial muscles of expression in these taxa in association with increased > emphasis on gestural modes of communication utilizing the visual channel. >
From: pearl on 28 Dec 2005 10:11 "Leif Erikson" pipes(a)thedismalscience.net Faking quotes, forged posts, lies, filth, harassment. http://www.iol.ie/~creature/boiled%20ball.html Profile of a Sociopath ... when faced with accountability or unwelcome attention which might lead to others discerning the sociopath's true nature, responds with repeated and escalating attempts to control, manipulate and punish ...' http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/serial.htm#Sociopath '- may pursue a vindictive vendetta against anyone who dares to held them accountable, perhaps using others' resources and contemptuous of the damage caused to other people and organisations in pursuance of the vendetta - is also quick to belittle, undermine, denigrate and discredit anyone who calls, attempts to call, or might call the bully to account - gains gratification from denying people what they are entitled to .......' http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/serial.htm http://www.reflexology-research.com/updatedresearch.htm. I've better things to do than parley with you, sick ball.
From: dh on 28 Dec 2005 12:19
On Mon, 26 Dec 2005 03:48:58 -0000, Jeff Caird <professor.jc(a)knox.edu> wrote: >On 2005-12-25, dh@. <dh@> wrote: >> On Sun, 25 Dec 2005 04:29:05 -0000, Jeff Caird <professor.jc(a)knox.edu> wrote: >> >>>On 2005-12-25, dh@. <dh@> wrote: >>>> How about rishathra? >>>> >>> >>>Is that from Ringworld? >>> >>>Feffer >> >> Yes. I wondered if anyone was familiar with that. I just >> found out yesterday they were going to make a movie >> a few years ago, but it didn't work out for some reason >> dammit. > >Just as well. Did you see what they did with Riverworld? > >Feffy I'm not familiar with that at all. Not even with the concept. It would probably be a better use of time to spend less of it arguing with people in these ngs and reading something else instead. What little reading I've done lately has been Niven, since he's my favorite sci fi author. I'm reading Ringworld's Children now, about 10 pages per month. That would make a hell of a movie! I think the Integral Trees could be awesome too. |