PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study suggests environmental factors had a role in the evolution of human tolerance

Study suggests environmental factors had a role in the evolution of human tolerance and friendliness

2021-02-03
(Press-News.org) Environmental pressures may have led humans to become more tolerant and friendly towards each other as the need to share food and raw materials became mutually beneficial, a new study suggests. This behaviour was not an inevitable natural progression, but subject to ecological pressures, the University of York study concludes. Humans have a remarkable capacity to care about people well outside their own kin or local group. Whilst most other animals tend to be defensive towards those in other groups our natural tolerance allows us to collaborate today on a global scale, as seen with trade or international relief efforts to provide aid for natural disasters. Using computer simulations of many thousands of individuals gathering resources for their group and interacting with individuals from other groups, the research team attempted to establish what key evolutionary pressures may have prompted human intergroup tolerance. The study suggests this may have begun when humans began to leave Africa and during a period of increasingly harsh and variable environments. The study was concerned with the period 300,000 to 30,000 years ago where archaeological evidence indicated greater mobility and more frequent interactions between different groups. In particular, this is a time in which there is a movement of raw materials over much longer distances and between groups. The researchers found that populations which shared resources were more likely to be more successful and more likely to survive harsh environments, where extinctions occur, than those populations which do not share across borders. However, in resource rich environments sharing was less advantageous and in extremely harsh environments populations are too low for sharing to be feasible. Penny Spikins, Professor in the Archaeology of Human Origins at the University of York, said: "That our study demonstrates the importance of tolerance to human success is perhaps surprising, especially when we often think of prehistory as a time of competition, however we have seen that in situations where people with surplus share across borders with those in need everyone benefits in the long term."

Dr Jennifer C. French, lecturer in Palaeolithic Archaeology at the University of Liverpool added: "Our study's findings also have important implications for wider debates about the increases in examples of innovation and greater rates of cultural evolution that occurred during this period.

"They help to explain previously enigmatic changes in the archaeological record between 300,000 and 30,000 years ago."

INFORMATION:

The study is published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Alcohol, calories, and obesity: Could labelling make a difference?

2021-02-03
Mandatory calorie labelling of alcoholic drinks could possibly address both alcohol consumption and obesity. An analysis published in Obesity Reviews summaries the results of studies that have examined consumer knowledge of the calorie content of alcoholic drinks, public support for labelling of calorie content on such drinks, and the effect of labelling on consumption. In the analysis of 18 relevant studies, there was moderate evidence that people were unaware of the calorie content of alcoholic drinks and that they supported labelling. Studies found no evidence that labelling affected consumption levels, but most studies were of low quality and were not conducted in real-world settings. "The ...

Researchers assess cognitive impairment in patients with breast cancer

2021-02-03
A recent analysis of published studies estimates that one-quarter of adults with breast cancer have cognitive impairment before starting therapy. The analysis, which is published in Psycho-Oncology, also found that many patients' cognitive function declines after receiving chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and/or hormone therapy for breast cancer. "Our results suggest that cancer-related and personal factors may make a significant contribution to cognitive functioning," said lead author Aicha Dijkshoorn, of the University Medical Center Utrecht, in the Netherlands. The ...

The pandemic lockdown's psychological impact on pregnant women

2021-02-03
During the lockdown in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, pregnant women had higher symptoms of depression and anxiety. The finding comes from a study published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, which also revealed that women with higher body mass index and lower social support were most affected. A total of 204 women accepted to participate in the study, which involved completing questionnaires related to depression, anxiety, and social support. The study's results "highlight the need to improve mental health care during pregnancy, ...

Sleep deprivation may exacerbate frailty's effects on mental health in older adults

2021-02-03
Previous studies have linked sleep deprivation and frailty with depression. A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that examined their combined effect suggests that short sleep intensifies the impacts of frailty on depressive symptoms. Among 5,026 community-dwelling older adults in China, participants who were frail at the start of the study were more likely to later develop depressive symptoms. Also, those who experienced worsening frailty throughout the study tended to develop higher levels of depression. Short sleep exacerbated ...

Model predicts likelihood of persistent high-dose opioid use after knee surgery

2021-02-03
A new study published in Arthritis Care & Research has identified 10 readily available clinical factors that may predict which patients will persistently use high doses of opioids in the year following knee replacement surgery. In the study of 142,089 Medicare patients with osteoarthritis who underwent total knee replacement surgery and had no history of high-dose opioid use, 10.6% became persistent users of high-dose opioids after surgery. Certain preoperative characteristics including demographics (age, sex, and race), history of substance abuse (opioids, alcohol, and tobacco), and medication use (benzodiazepines, anxiolytics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) were predictors of persistent use of high-dose opioids after surgery. ...

More mammals are being struck by aircraft each year

More mammals are being struck by aircraft each year
2021-02-03
Investigators have published a global review of mammal strikes with aircraft, noting that events have been increasing by up to 68% annually. More mammals were struck during the landing phase of an aircraft's rotation than any other phase, according to the article published in Mammal Review. By analyzing published information and mammal strike data from national aviation authorities in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, researchers found that bats accounted for the greatest proportion of strikes in Australia; rabbits and dog-like carnivores in Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom; and bats and deer in the United States. Average mammal strikes per year ranged from 1.2 to 38.7 across the countries ...

CO2 laser therapy helps improve sexual function in postmenopausal women with breast cancer

2021-02-03
CLEVELAND, Ohio (Feb 3, 2021)--Postmenopausal women often complain of painful intercourse or a lack of desire caused by decreased estrogen levels, which affect vaginal elasticity and lubrication. Survivors of breast cancer typically experience worse symptoms as a result of cancer treatments, and concerns exist regarding hormone therapies. A new study suggests that fractional CO2 laser therapy may help. Study results are published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). The menopause transition can subject women to genitourinary changes from a lack of estrogen and subsequent ...

'Zoombombing' research shows legitimate meeting attendees cause most attacks

2021-02-03
BINGHAMTON, NY -- Most zoombombing incidents are "inside jobs" according to a new study featuring researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York. As the COVID-19 virus spread worldwide in early 2020, much of our lives went virtual, including meetings, classes and social gatherings. The videoconferencing app Zoom became an online home for many of these activities, but the migration also led to incidents of "zoombombing" -- disruptors joining online meetings to share racist or obscene content and cause chaos. Similar apps such as Google Meet and Skype also saw problems. Cybersecurity experts expressed concerns ...

New stem cell therapy in dogs -- a breakthrough in veterinary medicine

2021-02-03
Dogs have been faithful human companions ever since their domestication thousands of years ago. With various improvements in veterinary medicine in the past decades, their life expectancy has increased. However, an unfortunate side effect of this longevity, much like in humans, has been an increase in the occurrence of chronic and degenerative conditions. In humans, modern efforts to fight such diseases have culminated in the development of regenerative therapies, largely based on stem cells. These "baby" cells have the potential to differentiate and mature into many specialized cell types-- called "pluripotency." By transplanting stem cells and guiding their differentiation into desired cell ...

Thoughts on plant genomes

2021-02-03
There are more than 350,000 angiosperms which are key components of ecosystems. It is now commonly accepted that their existence is essential for preserving a healthy environment and also for the production of food and raw materials. The growing world population and the challenges posed by climate change make the control of these natural resources one of the most crucial issues for all humanity in the future. In this regard, genome sequence information is of fundamental importance for understanding natural diversity and evolution of living organisms as well as for the design of breeding strategies aimed to produce new varieties with suitable traits. Although the first genome sequence of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana was produced more than twenty years ago, the sequencing ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

[Press-News.org] Study suggests environmental factors had a role in the evolution of human tolerance
Study suggests environmental factors had a role in the evolution of human tolerance and friendliness