Olivier Beauchesne created this fantastic map of scientific collaborations using data from Science-Metrix, a bibliometric consulting firm. By matching joint authors of articles with the cities where they were located, Beauchesne created a world-wide view of who publishes with whom. Find out more over at his blog Stuff I Made, including a high-resolution image of the map.
David Kroll, Stumbling, Imperfect Allies: Supporting Diversity In Science And The Blogosphere
*David gives us an in-depth look at the MLK session on diversity in the science from Science Online 2011. David grounds his discussion of diversity in his own experiences, including his recent gig as a white male teaching at a predominantly African American university.
-For more on diversity and science blogging, another important post is Kate Clancy’s Science Online 2011: Underrepresentation Hurts Us All
John Rennie, JR Minkel, You Are Missed Already
*In memory of the young science writer, more fitting than any obituary – JR gave us a fistful of critique
Ada, The What Why And How Of Cultural Neuroscience – Part 1: What Is Cultural Neuroscience?
*Excellent discussion of the aims and objectives of cultural neuroscience as an interdisciplinary field
American Journal of Human Biology, January/February 2011-02-01
*Special Issue: 2010 Wiley-Liss Plenary Session on Human Biology and the Brain.
Alon Halevy, Peter Norvig, and Fernando Pereira, The Unreasonable Effectiveness Of Data
*Fascinating essay on language, computers, and the Semantic Web – how can you build a program that works with the ambiguous and contextual nature of language.
Eugene Raikhel, Syllabus: Culture, Mental Health, and Psychiatry
*Get Eugene’s syllabus over at Somatosphere – an excellent example of how to teach anthropology of psychiatry and cultural psychiatry.
Svetlana Bachevanova, FotoWitness: Donna Ferrato
*Compelling interview with photojournalist, Donna Ferrato, who is known for her work on domestic violence.
Chrystia Freeland, The Rise Of The New Global Elite
*Comprehensive look at how a small elite has benefited during the current economic crisis and why the gap between the rich and poor is increasing everyday.
Robert Marshall, Cooperation In Social And Economic Life
*Intro and opening chapter to an excellent new volume!
Paula Braveman and Colleen Barcla, Health Disparities Beginning In Childhood: A Life-Course Perspective
*Strong argument for examining health disparities from a life-course perspective.
Science Daily, Enhanced Early Childhood Education Pays Long-Term Dividends In Better Health
*A long-term randomized control study that shows the benefits of early childhood education on health outcomes in adulthood.
James Clifford et al., A Forum: The University We Are For
*Panel discussion of the future of universities and what leading academics believe institutions of higher learning should strive for. Clifford comes in around 71 minutes, and gives his “Greater Humanities” lecture – this framing is definitely one sticking in my mind.
Vivienne Raper, Science Blogging And Tenure
*Perhaps a bit too cautious in its recommendations about blogging and an academic career, but this article definitely lays out some of the main issues at play if you want to blog and also get tenure
Tom Harford, Why We Do What We Do
*Behavioral economists have released widely read books on how people make decisions. But how does their work differ from classical economists and what are the shortcomings of their research? Short answer – looking at decision making in real life matters…
Keith O’Brien, Drug Experiment
*A compelling example from Portugal of how decriminalizing drug use can help addicts recover, free police resources to go after dealers, and reduce the transmission of blood borne pathogens.
Maia Szalavitz, Drug Legalization Is A ‘Legitimate Topic For Debate,’ Obama Says
*Surprising shift from President Obama on drug legalization and the need for more treatment options.
Science Healthy, Smoking & Alcohol ‘To Blame For Majority Of Gender Gap In Deaths’
*Higher rates of smoking and drinking contribute to differences in deaths between men and women.
Associated Press, Smoking, Obesity Why US Lifespans Lag A Bit
*How smoking and drinking are increasing lifespan differences between the U.S. and other countries.
Culpabisation, Cocaine Et Inaction Politique
*Scathing critique of public service announcements against drug use and the apathy of government officials.
Students Circle Network, Drugs, Politics and Culture
*Get Hugh Gusterson’s syllabus and lecture notes for his class on “Drugs, Politics and Culture”
Dirk Hanson, Personalizing Addiction Medicine
*Interesting finding indicating that the effectiveness of addiction medication may be dependent upon a patient’s genes.
Clancy Martin, The Drunk’s Club
*Gripping first-hand account by a former alcoholic on his recovery and the AA program.
Nicholas Bartlett, Shao-hua Li, Passage to Manhood: Youth Migration, Heroin And AIDS In Southwest China
*Review of a new book on increasing heroin use and rising HIV cases in Southwest China.
Kambiz Kamrani, Drugs And Self-Perception
*A fascinating visual guide to common drugs out there and artistic renditions of someone using them.
Dirk Hasnon, Khat To The Chase
*Khat use in East Africa, and its effects on cognitive impairment and road accidents.
Virginia Hughes, In Defense Of Hippie Cigarettes
*Electronic cigarettes: great way to quit smoking or another substitute?
Carol Tavris, The New Neurosexism
*Good breakdown of some of the key points from Cordelia Fine’s Delusion of Gender, which counters so-called claims of neurological differences between sexes.
Bradley Voytek, Top 10 Neuroscience TED Talks
*Great list of TED talks to listen to on neuroscience.
John Horgan, A Modest Proposal For Curbing Homicides: Socialism
*The association between income disparities and homicide rates.
Maria Popova, The Psychology Of Choice: 5 Perspectives
*Decisions: How do we make them and what do they say about us? Round up of books and talks on this topic.
Lera Boroditsky, How Language Shapes Thought
*Our perceptions of the world as shaped through language.
Dave Gilson, Wii Shall Overcome
*Critical examination of the some of the claims made by game proponents regarding the benefits people can derive from games.
Jon Hamilton, Hormone Helps Short-Term Memories Stick Around
*New findings suggesting that short-term memory can be improved through the use of a hormone.
Christof Koch, Think Different: How Perception Reveals Brain Differences
*Neurological differences and how they influence the way we view the world.
Radio Lab, Lost And Found
*An engaging podcast on getting lost and how our brains and hearts lead us back to the right destination.
Anna Wilking, Absent
*Powerful post from an anthropology student in the field on her struggles with the emotional fallout from working with sex workers and relapsing.
Raymond Ho, Apes Walking Upright: That’s Just How They Roll (or Walk)
*A video of gorilla walking upright went viral recently on the Internet, but bipedalism actually isn’t uncommon among non-human primates. The Prancing Papio gives us great context, and other videos too, for this recent story
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Race Matters
*Excellent resources for people looking to minimize racial inequities and teaching race.
Greg Laden, Falsehoods: Human Universals
*Looking for truth about human universals? Here’s one good place to start thinking about that…
Karen Wentworth, Anthropology Professor Organizes Workshop On Colombia’s Changing View Of Its History
*Great workshop on archaeological, both legal and illegal, excavations in Colombia.
Eduardo Salcedo-Albarán, Homo Sensus-Sapiens: The Animal That Feels And Rationalizes
*Rethinking our conceptualization of what it means to be human and balancing over confidence in our abilities and inherent instincts.
Daniel Lieberman, Skull Session
*A personal tour of the human skeleton from head to toe.
Nell Greenfieldboyce, Tools Suggest Humans Left Africa Earlier Via Arabia
*The discovery of stone tools in the United Arab Emirates indicate that humans may have migrated from Africa earlier than believed.
Philip Ball, How Words Get The Message Across
*Word length and how it may determine how frequently we use a word and the message it sends.