-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, August 02, 2010 1:28 AM To: [email protected] Subject: "Animal Connection" Helps Separate Humans From Other Species
"Animal Connection" Helps Separate Humans From Other Species By Kate Shaw Ars Technica July 28, 2010 http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/07/animal-connection-helps-separate -humans-from-other-species.ars For centuries, people have tried to pinpoint what makes humans unique. The most current scientific theory suggests that three main qualities separate Homo sapiens from other animals: the construction and use of complex tools, the use of symbolic behavior including language, art, and ritual, and the domestication of other plants and animals. However, in a new paper in Current Anthropology, Dr. Pat Shipman suggests a fourth trait unique to humans. Shipman cites humans' long history of learning about and understanding animals as a unique trait, calling this tendency "the animal connection." She claims that this relationship is the common unifying factor that underlies each of the other three previously recognized human traits, and has played a major role in human evolution over the last 2.6 million years. It's undeniable that humans have a very close relationship with animals. Here in the US, we spend $41.2 billion on our pets every year. Over 60 percent of Australian households have animals. There are more dogs in Japan than there are children under 12. In tribal societies, there are reports of women breast-feeding young animals. Humans' intimate connection with animals is nearly universal across cultures, yet interspecies relationships are extremely rare in other animals. [moderator: to read the entire article please click http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/07/animal-connection-helps-separate -humans-from-other-species.ars] _____________________________________________ Portside aims to provide material of interest to people on the left that will help them to interpret the world and to change it. Submit via email: [email protected] Submit via the Web: portside.org/submit Frequently asked questions: portside.org/faq Subscribe: portside.org/subscribe Unsubscribe: portside.org/unsubscribe Account assistance: portside.org/contact Search the archives: portside.org/archive !DSPAM:2676,4c56057a177551031318463! _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
