According to historian Thomas Laqueur, neither sanitation nor the soul fully explain the rang of rituals we've developed for caring for dead bodies. For him, there is a deeper anthropological truth at work: caring for the dead marks the human transition from nature into culture.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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If there is an evolutionary imperative for running, maybe runner's high holds a clue. Dave Raichlen conducted a study about runner's high using humans, dogs and ferrets.
If human beings are part neanderthal, Brian Fagan tells Jim Fleming the rest of us is something else - Cro-Magnon.
I dunno, but it seems kind of extreme, not to mention risky, to bio-engineer a mass mosquito die-off. So Steve Paulson tracked down the world’s greatest living entomologist to see what he has to say. E. O Wilson is sometimes called “the ant man” – that’s the insect he studied most – but he’s best known as the evolutionary biologist and a champion of biodiversity. He’s 86 years old now, and has just finished what is probably his last book – called “Half Earth”. It’s a passionate plea to save humanity by dedicating half the planet to nature. You’d assume that Wilson would be happy to let mosquitos live in that half… but that’s not what he told Steve.
The documentary, "Examined Life," features eight prominent philosophers, including Cornel West, Peter Singer, Slavoj Zizek and Judith Butler.
Get a local sampler of Ithaca cuisine with David Hirsch of the popular and influential Moosewood Restaurant.
Dan Zanes is winning Grammys for his music, often categorized as children's music, but as Zanes tells Anne Strainchamps, his music is for all ages.
Francine Segan, author of "The Philosopher's Kitchen", tells us of the importance of bread to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.
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