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Comprender que los organismos multicelulares no son entes pasivos es esencial, por una parte, para ampliar nuestro entendimiento sobre la evolución de las especies y, por otra, para esclarecer cómo percibimos e interactuamos en el mundo. Lo anterior se debe a que, a través de múltiples procesos y mecanismos ontogenéticos y filogenéticos, los organismos navegan activamente el ambiente en el que están inmersos. Sin embargo, a pesar del énfasis que actualmente se ha puesto en esta visión académica, una conducta que ha recibido poca atención en este debate, en el caso de los homínidos y particularmente en Homo sapiens, es el juego. En este trabajo contribuimos a dilucidar la importancia del juego en el proceso de construcción de nicho y la emergencia de la cognición, dos áreas fundamentales para la discusión contemporánea del pensamiento evolucionista y de las ciencias cognitivas corporizadas. Sostenemos que esta tarea es relevante debido a que el juego es un camino a través del cual diferentes organismos multicelulares pertenecientes a un enorme número de especies indagan, conocen, construyen y transforman el mundo. En la primera sección, situamos la discusión y puntualizamos la estructura de nuestros argumentos. Enseguida, exponemos la importancia de la teoría de construcción de nicho, y las definiciones de nicho cultural y nicho ontogenético. Lo anterior subraya el rol activo de los organismos en la modificación de los ambientes (selectivos y ontogenéticos). Luego, explicamos los principales supuestos del enactivismo y sus implicaciones para comprender las propiedades dinámicas, corporizadas y situadas de los organismos en el estudio de la cognición. Después esclarecemos el rol del juego para robustecer el análisis de este vasto entramado de conceptos evolutivos y enactivistas. Finalmente, presentamos conclusiones sobre las implicaciones que este tipo de investigaciones pueden tener para diferentes campos del conocimiento —p. ej., la antropología biológica, las ciencias cognitivas, la filosofía de la biología o la pedagogía—.

Contemporary Homo sapiens’s ecological and geographic range, population growth, and adaptability in the face of micro- and macroenvironmental challenges are substantial. Humans have such an impact at a global scale that the most recent epoch has been dubbed, by many, “the Anthropocene.” There is no question that under the basic measures of standard evolutionary theory Homo sapiens is among the most successful, if not the most successful, large-bodied mammal. However, standard evolutionary theory might not offer the most comprehensive assessment framework for measuring or conceptualizing evolutionary success in the 21st century. This chapter offers examples and details as to how and why considering evolutionary success via the extended evolutionary synthesis and a dynamic anthropological approach enables a frame of reference that is more in tune with the actual range of evolutionarily relevant processes at play in the contemporary human niche.

El Tercer Tribunal Ambiental, en aplicación de la teoría de la invalidación impropia, ha entendido que la norma de clausura del artículo 17 N° 8 de la Ley N° 20.600 no resulta aplicable al recurso de invalidación, así resulta posible en la jurisprudencia de dicho tribunal, que respecto de una misma Resolución de Calificación Ambiental se presenten distintas vías recursivas tendientes a su nulidad. En este trabajo abordaremos específicamente la relación entre el recurso del 17 N° 6 y el 17 N°8 de la Ley N° 20.600, junto con un análisis crítico de la propuesta de solución que el Tercer Tribunal Ambiental ha sostenido, consistente en que conseguida la declaración de nulidad respecto de una de las acciones (en su propio proceso) la otra (ventilada en un proceso distinto) perdería, al perseguir una nulidad que ya se ha declarado, de forma sobreviniente su objeto.

Robbing and bartering is a habitual behavior among free-ranging long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) at a single site in Bali, Indonesia. The behavior consists of three main elements: (1) a macaque takes an item from a human; (2) the macaque maintains possession of the item; then (3) the macaque releases or hands off the item after accepting a food offer from a human. In this paper, we analyze data on individual variation in robbing and bartering among subadult males in relation to dominance rank. Using focal animal sampling we collected 197 observation hours of data on 13 subadult males from two groups (6 from Celagi; 7 from Riting) at the Uluwatu temple site from May 2017 to March 2018, recording 44 exchanges of items for food from 92 total robberies following 176 total attempts. We also measured dominance rank using interaction data from our focal animals. Dominance rank was strongly positively correlated with robbery efficiency in Riting, but not Celagi, meaning that more dominant Riting subadult males exhibited fewer overall robbery attempts per successful robbery. We suggest the observed variation in robbing and bartering practices indicates there are crucial, yet still unexplored, social factors at play for individual robbing and bartering decisions.

This anecdotal observation details the response of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) to a heterospecific carcass. The subgroup of macaques we were following abruptly changed their direction of travel upon reaching a tree line while displaying silent vigilance behaviour. We later discovered a dog carcass in the area and concluded their behaviour may have been in response to the smell of that carcass. The carcass was not visible from the response point at the tree line due to its distance from that point (approximately 30 meters) and the uneven and densely vegetated terrain between. The macaques were therefore most likely responding to scent cues from the carcass. We suggest the observed vigilance behaviour is excessive under a strictly pathogen-avoidance explanation and may be understood as a response to a cue of potential predation risk. We review alternative explanations and suggest future research on nonhuman primate heterospecific carcass avoidance is necessary to fully assess the potential relation to perceived risk of predation.

The reconstruction and prioritization of masculinity in human evolution (and thus human nature) is often rooted in reference to other primates and the hominin fossil and archaeological record. And ...

An anthropological approach is needed to counter a rising chorus of biobabble about masculinities, maleness, and violence. Anthropological lenses enable us to examine what we know and what we do no...

The patterns of affiliative interactions between subadult males are not well known. In female philopatric species, like long-tailed macaques, such relationships may be important in fully understanding socioecological contexts and processes. Subadult males have particularly important relationships with other males, often associated with the challenges of dispersal. This study assesses the patterns of affiliation among subadult males by comparing data from two allopatric populations. We collected over 400 hours of behavioral data on 27 total subadult male long-tailed macaques in Bali, Indonesia. We found that patterns of affiliation between subadult males measured by dyadic interaction rates and individual interaction rate composites varied between these populations. We observed significant variation across three domains of affiliative behavior: (1) resting in spatial proximity, (2) allogrooming, and (3) affiliative gesture exchanges. In each context, the subadult males of one population exhibited higher rates of affiliation than the other. We conclude patterns of affiliation between subadult males, and the importance of maintaining those relationships, respond to variation in socioecological contexts that may be population-specific rather than species-specific.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. Patients with comorbidities– such as those on peritoneal dialysis (PD)– present higher morbidity and mortality than the general population. We prospectively evaluated all Chilean patients on PD (48 centres) and followed those who had Covid-19 from the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in Chile (March 2020) to January 2021 (start of vaccination campaign). We described demographic history, comorbidities, factors related to infection, need for hospitalisation and death due to Covid-19. During the study period, 106 adults on PD were infected by SARS-CoV-2, with a mean age of 53.1 (±16.3) and of which 53.9% were female. From that group, 54.8% required hospitalisation and 24.5% ( n = 26) died due to Covid-19. Most of the patients (63.4%) were infected at home and 22.8% during hospitalisation for other reasons. There was a significant association for Covid-19 mortality with: being ≥60 years old, diabetes, time on PD ≥5 years, need for hospitalisation and hospital-acquired infection. At 90 days of follow-up, all deaths associated to Covid-19 occurred before 40 days. We conclude that patients on PD without Covid-19 vaccination have a high mortality and need for hospitalisation associated to Covid-19. To avoid this negative outcome, it is necessary to intensify strategies to avoid contagion, especially in those ≥60 years old, with diabetes and/or ≥5 years spent on PD.

We are addressing this letter to the editors of Philosophical Psychology after reading an article they decided to publish in the recent Volume 33, Issue 1. The article is by Nathan Cofnas and is en...

The effect of food provisioning on ranging patterns of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in non-anthropogenic areas is largely unknown, as most published studies have focused on urban macaques. In this study, we quantified habitat selection, daily path length and home range size in long-tailed macaques in Baluran National Park, East Java, Indonesia, comparing a non-provisioned to a provisioned group. To track the groups, we deployed six GPS-collars on females in both groups, of which only two collected data. Home range size (90% Auto-correlated Kernel Density Estimate) was 23 times smaller for the provisioned group (10.62 ha) than the non-provisioned group (249.90 ha). Home range size and area changed from dry to wet season for the non-provisioned group. Provisioned group home range size correlated negatively with number of visitors in the national park. Daily path length was significantly higher for the non-provisioned group. The provisioned group preferred settlements, where most of the provisioning occurred, and avoided areas with invasive acacia (Acacia nilotica). The non-provisioned group also avoided invasive acacia, preferred secondary forest in the dry season and restored savannah in the wet season. Food provisioning can affect macaque spatial ecology, by shaping daily travel length and home range size, and changing patterns of habitat selection. Even tourism in a managed national park, where provisioning is strictly prohibited although not always enforced, has significant consequences for animal behaviour and their natural ecosystems.

We are in a pandemic. COVID-19 infection threatens humanity with illness and death. But disease from this microbe is not the only hazard to human health and well-being. People around the globe have...

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Heritability is not a measure of the relative contribution of nature vis-à-vis nurture, nor is it the phenotypic variance explained by or because of genetic variance. Heritability is a correlative value. The evolutionary and developmental processes associated with human culture challenge the use of “heritability” for understanding human behavior.

Cesario misrepresents or ignores data on real-world racist and sexist patterns and processes in an attempt to discredit the assumptions of implicit bias experimentation. His position stands in stark contradiction to substantive research across the social sciences recognizing the widespread, systematic, and structuring processes of racism and sexism. We argue for centering the relationship between structural racism and individual bias.

The target article takes myriad human female patterns and aligns them as a unit emerging from an expanded version of “staying alive” theory (SAT). Females and males do differ, however, to treat the complexity of human response to threats as an explicit, evolved sexually dimorphic package is not reflective of current knowledge regarding health, sex/gender, and behavior in Homo sapiens.

Antecedentes: La agricultura y ganadería modifican la estructura y funcionamiento del bosque tropical seco. El impacto de estas actividades ha sido evaluado en regiones de Jalisco y Yucatán, en donde la agricultura de roza, tumba y quema, y la ganadería extensiva son los principales tipos de manejo. Sin embargo, existen otras regiones como Guerrero, en donde la agricultura es combinada con la ganadería. No obstante, su impacto sobre el bosque no ha sido evaluado hasta el momento. Pregunta: ¿Cuál es el impacto de la agricultura/ganadería y ganadería sobre el bosque tropical seco de Zirándaro, Guerrero? Sitio y años de estudio: El estudio fue realizado en Zirándaro, Guerrero, en diciembre de 2014 y junio de 2015. Métodos: Se seleccionaron 9 sitios con agricultura/ganadería, ganadería y bosque para muestrear su vegetación y suelo, y calcular 10 indicadores ecológicos. Además, se colectaron 9 muestras de suelo para evaluar sus propiedades físicas y químicas. Resultados: Los suelos de la agricultura/ganadería y ganadería tuvieron mayor densidad aparente, pero menor porosidad y materia orgánica que el suelo del bosque. La agricultura/ganadería y ganadería tuvieron baja riqueza específica y cobertura del dosel. La agricultura/ganadería tuvo menor obstrucción visual y mayor proporción de claros basales que la ganadería. Estas diferencias sugieren que la agricultura/ganadería tiene mayor impacto sobre el bosque que la ganadería. Sin embargo, no se encontraron diferencias significativas en la mayoría de los indicadores ecológicos. Conclusiones: La agricultura/ganadería y ganadería tienen un impacto ecológico relativamente similar sobre el bosque tropical seco de Zirándaro, Guerrero.

Medical anthropology, given its diversity of practical and historical entanglements with (and outside of) numerous threads of anthropology, is a key site for productive theoretical and methodological confluences in the Anthropocene. Multispecies approaches, ethnographically, theoretically and methodologically, are developing as central locations for the hybridization and mingling of diverse and innovative research questions, particularly those engaging the processes, patterns, and constructs of health.

Proyecto Fin de Máster Univ. Granada, Dpto. de Métodos de Investigación y Diagnóstico en Educación, Máster de Intervención Psicopedagócia, Curso 2010-2011

Biological anthropology can, and should, matter in the Anthropocene. Biological anthropologists are interested in human biology and the human experience in a broader ecological, evolutionary, and phylogenetic context. We are interested in the material of the body, the history of the body, and interactions of diverse bodies, communities, ecologies, and evolutionary processes. However, the cultural realities of bodies, histories, communities, livelihoods, perceptions, and experiences are as central to the endeavor and inquiry of biological anthropology as are their material aspects. Biological anthropology is a constant dialectic between the cultural and the biological. In this essay, I argue that Biological Anthropology has much to offer, a history to contend with, and a future that matters. To illustrate this, I highlight theoretical and methodological issues in genomics, evolutionary theory and connect them to the study of Race and Racism to emphasize specific arenas where Biological Anthropology has a great capacity, and a strong obligation, to play a central role. However, Biological Anthropology also has substantive internal issues that hinder our ability to do the best possible science. If we are to live up to our potential and make a difference in the 21st century we need to ameliorate our structural shortcomings and expand our voice, and impact, in academic and public discourse. The goal of this perspective is to offer suggestions for moving us toward this goal.

In this chapter, I provide an overview of ethnoprimatological approaches as a theoretical and methodological context with the potential to create an opening for One Health to more fully engage with anthropological and primatological complexities at the interface of humans and monkeys. I present overviews of the human–macaque interface at two sites, Padangtegal, Bali, Indonesia and Gibraltar, UK, where the contrasting local cultural contexts and ecological patterns of interaction between humans and macaques demonstrate the importance of an ethnoprimatological and niche-constructive perspective when attempting to assess pathogen risk and management for human–macaque interactions.

A pair of scholars confront the pernicious role played by racism in shaping our understanding of human difference

Any study of the world, including that of the human, is a move toward and into complexity not away from it. Human action and perception are as evolutionarily relevant as are human genes, bones, and...

Contemporary understandings of paleoanthropological data illustrate that the search for a line defining, or a specific point designating, "modern human" is problematic. Here we lend support to the argument for the need to look for patterns in the paleoanthropological record that indicate how multiple evolutionary processes intersected to form the human niche, a concept critical to assessing the development and processes involved in the emergence of a contemporary human phenotype. We suggest that incorporating key elements of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) into our endeavors offers a better and more integrative toolkit for modeling and assessing the evolution of the genus Homo. To illustrate our points, we highlight how aspects of the genetic exchanges, morphology, and material culture of the later Pleistocene complicate the concept of "modern" human behavior and suggest that multiple evolutionary patterns, processes, and pathways intersected to form the human niche.

Humans are animals, mammals, primates, and hominoids, and thus we share extensive similarities with each of these groups, especially our closest cousins, the apes. But we are also hominins, specifi...