November 3, 2011

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Editor's Selections: Warring Incans, Deception, and the Alaskan Highway

By Krystal D'Costa

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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

Ed Note: 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.

This week on ResearchBlogging.org:

  • It's no secret that history has long been written by the victors. Fortunately, we have the means of exploring and testing alternative ideas and theories that offer alternative explanations to the social stories that constitute our past. At Bones Don't Lie, Katy Meyers discusses how archaeological evidence has been used to investigate just how warlike the Incans really were as compared to the claims made by the conquistadors.

  • Do you have a person who lives in your head and offers you (what you hope is) sage advice? We all do. It turns out that voice is an accomplished liar—and you are too, particularly when you don't like the news at hand. Cris Campbell of Genealogy of Religion explains why we're so good at deceiving ourselves.

  • Teofilo of Gambler's House has a fantastic piece on the construction of the Alaskan Highway highlighting the contributions of a multidisciplinary and culturally diverse team, and the far-reaching impact of this group.

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

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