January 26, 2012

Editor's Selections: Roman lead poisoning, Dyslexia, Intelligence in context, and A. bosei's teeth

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Part of my online life includes editorial duties at ResearchBlogging.org, where I serve as the Social Sciences Editor. Each Thursday, I pick notable posts on research in anthropology, philosophy, social science, and research to share on the ResearchBlogging.org News site. To help highlight this writing, I also share my selections here on AiP.

Bloggers in the social sciences have been busy in the last week. You'll find no shortage of interesting posts. There were some tough calls to make, but choose I must:

The fall of one of the most powerful empires to have existed continues to fascinate us 1500 years after the fact. At Powered by Osteons, Kristina Killgrove investigates whether lead poisoning might have played a role in the Roman Empire's undoing.

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One in ten people are on the spectrum for dyslexia. Dr. Stuart Farrimond makes a brief case for the genetic preservation of dyslexia, suggesting that it would have granted our evolutionary ancestors much needed benefits for survival in a world that was vastly different from out.

Have you ever been in a situation where you just didn't feel smart? Greg Laden explains that intelligence may be a socio-cultural signal that varies from context to context.

What big teeth you have, A. bosei! At Lawn Chair Anthropology, Zachary Cofran tries to make sense of A. bosei's dentition, which does not seem suited for its diet.

I'll be back next week with more from anthropology, philosophy, and research.

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