Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id GAA06478 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 1 Dec 2000 06:32:20 GMT X-Originating-IP: [209.240.221.70] From: "Scott Chase" <ecphoric@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: RE: new article (another quick point) Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2000 01:28:15 -0500 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <F166rPA5scQT9EB5BBN00008abb@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 01 Dec 2000 06:28:15.0880 (UTC) FILETIME=[E33CB080:01C05B5F] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk>
>Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
>Subject: RE: new article (another quick point)
>Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 14:40:21 -0000
>
>Typically, after posting my quick response earlier, I was struck by another
>theory put forward that fits in with this kind of idea, and I'm suprised
>the
>author didn't mention it.
>
>Agriculture is generally regarded to have been the catalyst for the
>emergence of cities, and it has been argued that the combination of
>agriculture and large dense urban populations led to requirements for other
>things too, not least money, and also writing. For example, some 95% of
>writing found in ancient Sumer concerned trade.
>
>But this also turns the argument on its head in some ways. if if wasn't
>for
>the discovery/ invention of farming, large scale communities of humans were
>unlikely to develop. So qualitative factors can beget major population
>shifts, which in turn beget qualitative shifts in social trends. A while
>ago in New Scientist there was a piece about the discovery of fire-making
>that was speculating on these kinds of issues, i.e. how and to what extent
>did fire-making impact on human evolutionary development (in that case I
>think this was meant in genetic as well as social terms).
>
>BTW, nice to see fortunate coincidences of discussions on the list
>appearing
>in press or on screen. I don't know if you caught, or what you thought
>about the Channel 4 programme 'The Difference', which focused on both
>genetic similarities and differences between ethnic groups, where the milk
>drinking tolerance was discussed. Also New Scientist a couple of weeks
>back mentioned that tribe in Papua New Guinea where they got the CJD like
>disease from eating dead relatives
>
Kuru? Wasn't this from eating the brains of others? IIRC the prions or
whatever infective agent which may be involved is associated with nervous
tissue. Also IIRC the people practicing cannibalism think that some vital
essence from the persons whom they are eating passes to them.
>
>(it was in the news because several
>elderly survivors of that period, the 1950s, have begun to die from the
>disease, leading to fears that people previously thought immune to
>vulnerability to such diseases may just have very long incubation periods
>instead, so every meat eater in the UK is going to die from vCJD...
>perhaps).
>
Hopefully there's nothing to worry about (knock on wood). I had read up on
the presumably prion related diseases back in the mid 90's when the Mad Cow
phenomenon was occurring, but haven't kept up. IIRC Oprah Winfrey took some
heat for comments she made on her show and got sued by cattle-ranchers back
when the topic was hot.
Someone please correct me if I'm misinformed, but my recollection is that
cattle had possibly picked up the prions from eating nervous tissue from
scrapie infected sheep which was added to the cattle feed. If the prions are
primarily confined to nervous tissue, maybe eating muscle tissue of infected
animals doesn't carry as much risk...? Or maybe it does?
I did happen to catch the last part of a PBS show (IIRC Nova) fairly
recently which focused on CJD and prions. I think some researchers were
looking at whether there is a difference between various species as to
whether prions can cross phylogenetic barriers. The prion issue seems to
have many question marks attached to it. I'm pretty clueless on the details,
though. Hopefully there's no cause for concern. I know I still eat beef.
As a molecular entity, the prion is quite bizarre. What exactly is it?
What's its modus operandi?
>
>Also, has anyone else seen the Rose & Rose book 'Alas, Poor Darwin'? It's
>an attack on evolutionary psychology mostly, but there's a chapter called
>'Anti-Dawkins', and Mary Midgely has written a piece about memes (flicking
>through it in the bookshop it didn't seem a strong argument to me against
>memes, but there you go I'm biased, although I did agree with some of the
>criticisms of Blackmore's Buddhism).
>
>
It's always good to criticize that ;-) I too have seen and thumbed through
this book. I think Gould, himself, adds flames to the fire against ev psych.
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