Anthropology, Evolution, and Disability Studies: Publications and Documents
Summary
The Anthropology and Disability: Studies and Information database at Disabled World (DW) includes a variety of publications such as recent discoveries, anthropological news, and scholarly articles that focus on the intersection of anthropology and disability studies. This collection encompasses research from both sociocultural anthropology, which examines cultural interpretations of disability, and social anthropology, which studies social structures and relationships. Additionally, the database covers medical anthropology, investigating health, disease, and biocultural adaptation, particularly how these relate to disability in different cultural contexts. The database is regularly updated and offers search and sort functionalities for user convenience.Searching the Database
The data table below lists items that may have been updated or revised, but the table defaults to sorting by descending publication date; you can search and sort by clicking column headers (JavaScript required). Items in this category are also distributed via our Anthropology, Evolution, and Disability Studies RSS feed.
| Title and Description | Ed | Publish Revised |
|---|---|---|
| Bigger Human Bodies Evolved Late, Study of Fossils Finds New PNAS research on 386 fossils shows human body size jumped later within the genus Homo rather than growing steadily across the whole family tree. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Migratory Predators Link Evolution Across Vast Distances New research shows migratory predators can link the evolution of species thousands of miles apart, even when those species never share the same territory. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Müllerian Mimicry: How Species Unite Through Warning Learn how Müllerian mimicry - where multiple unpalatable species share warning signals - works and how it may connect to disability. | ✓ ✓ | |
| How Disability Stories In Archaeology Ignore The Disabled An examination of how archaeology and modern media frame disability around caretakers and compassion while overlooking the lives of disabled people themselves. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Asgard Archaea May Reveal How Complex Life Began Ancient stromatolites from Shark Bay have yielded the first visual evidence of an Asgard archaeon physically interacting with a bacterium via nanotubes. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Abiogenesis: How Life Emerged from Non-Life on Early Earth Discover how life emerged from non-living chemistry on early Earth through abiogenesis. Explore RNA world theory, hydrothermal vents, and the latest scientific evidence. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Biocentrism: Theory, Ethics, and Cosmic Questions Examination of biocentrism in environmental ethics and cosmology, exploring theories, disability, applications, advantages, and scientific criticisms. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Resurrection Ecology: Observing Evolution in Real Time Resurrection ecology revives dormant organisms from lake sediments and seed banks to directly observe evolution across decades or centuries. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Wukong: China's Darwin Monkey Neuromorphic Supercomputer China's Darwin Monkey neuromorphic supercomputer mimics a macaque brain with 2 billion neurons, promising efficient AI but facing skepticism about practical advantages. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Water Droplets and Tiny Lightning Sparks May Have Ignited Life on Earth Stanford study suggests life's building blocks originated from water spray, not lightning strikes, challenging long-held beliefs about origins of life on Earth. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Human Civilization at a Crossroads: Authoritarian Decline vs. Unprecedented Abundance Paper explores civilization's shift from decline to a postmaterialist era, highlighting challenges like authoritarianism and the need for inclusive governance. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Human-Specific Brain Genes Tied to Developmental Disorders Study reveals human-specific brain genes linked to synapse timing and neurodevelopmental disorders, giving new insight into evolutionary brain vulnerabilities. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Life from a Single Drop: Rainwater's Role in Forming First Protocell Walls Peer-reviewed study reveals rainwater's role in forming stable protocell walls, shedding light on the early evolution of life on Earth. | ✓ ✓ | |
| How Children's Vocal and Cognitive Cues Influence Adults Adults prioritize vocal signals when assessing children's emotions and helplessness, but rely more on cognitive content to evaluate intelligence and reasoning. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Primordial Soup: What Ensured Stability of the First Molecules? Researchers reveal how early RNA molecules stabilized in Earth's primordial soup, offering insights into molecular self-assembly crucial to life's origins. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Western Equine Encephalitis: Evolution's Role in Reducing Its Threat But Need for Vigilance The story of the rise and fall of western equine encephalitis as a lethal disease offers essential lessons about how a pathogen can gain or lose its ability to jump from animals to humans. | ||
| Floating Duck Syndrome Leads to Hard Work Without Achieving Goals Study on how floating duck syndrome tricks people into working hard but failing to achieve their goals. The phenomenon and its consequences can have a huge impact on health and well-being. | ||
| Study Reveals Characteristics of LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor The nature of the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) and its impact on the early Earth system. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Study on Heart Architecture Provides Insights into Human Evolution Research has uncovered a new insight into human evolution by comparing human hearts with those of other great apes. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Groundbreaking Study Reveals Elephants Use Individualized Vocal Labels, Mirroring Human Naming Colorado State University scientists have called elephants by their names, and the elephants called back. | ||
| Medieval Red Squirrels Hosted Leprosy Bacteria Peer-reviewed genetic analysis reveals medieval English red squirrels transmitted leprosy to humans, fundamentally reshaping our understanding of the disease's history. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Plant DNA Breakthroughs Aid Conservation and Medical Discoveries Landmark plant evolution study maps 9,500+ species' DNA, aiding conservation and medical breakthroughs through open-access genetic data. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Graphitisation: Recreating Plausible Conditions for the Origin of Life Scientists suggest molecules could have formed from a process known as graphitisation which could allow us to recreate plausible conditions for emergence of life. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Changing Perspectives: How Generation X's Views On Evolution Are Evolving Study tracks Generation X's evolving views on evolution over 33 years, highlighting education's role in shaping scientific beliefs.. | ✓ ✓ | |
| New Evidence Supports RNA World Hypothesis on Life's Origins Salk Institute's study reveals RNA enzyme's role in early evolution, supporting the RNA World hypothesis and advancing origins-of-life research. | ✓ ✓ | |
| How Bacteria Thrive Amidst a Viral Epidemic sans Social Distancing New research uncovers evidence that a genetic mechanism may help the berry-building bacteria, and others like them, protect against disease. | ||
| Evolutionary Origin of a Mysterious Human Immune System Molecule Researchers report on how the human immune system appears to have evolutionarily co-opted a molecule from another biological process. | ||
| Evolutionary Study Shows How Humans Learned to Walk CT scans of a 6-million-year-old fossil ape's inner ear reveal a three-step evolutionary path toward how humans came to walk upright on two legs. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Findings Suggest Early Primates, Including Humans, Possibly Thrived in Pairs Recent research indicates that many primates - which includes humans - are not in fact solitary but lived in pairs of males and females. | ||
| Exploring Extremes: Unveiling the Secret Life of Microbes Thriving a Mile Underground A metagenomic view of novel microbial and metabolic diversity found within the deep terrestrial biosphere at DeMMO: A microbial observatory in South Dakota, USA. | ||
| Pollen Analysis May Explain When and How the Flow of Homo Sapiens Into Eurasia Happened A new study compares Pleistocene vegetation communities around Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, to the oldest archeological traces of Homo sapiens in the region. | ||
| Solving Mystery of Missing Animals in Fossil Record Oxford researchers develop method to prove early animals were truly absent from fossil record, not just poorly preserved, resolving Darwin-era mystery. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Asgard Archaea: Clues to the Origin of Complex Life Discover how Asgard archaea shaped the origins of complex life, revealing key evolutionary insights into eukaryotes and multicellular organisms. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Tryptophan, Life's Key Amino Acid, Found in Deep Space Discovery of tryptophan in interstellar space reveals insights into life's origins, suggesting amino acids may enrich young planets and foster life formation. | ✓ ✓ | |
| The Evolutionary Origin of Cognitive Flexibility Cognitive functions following comparable rules in different species are important for survival, such as the flexibility to adapt quickly to suddenly changing conditions. | ||
| Dupuytren's Disease (Viking Disease) Hand Disorder May Come From Neandertal Genes Given the prevalence of Dupuytren's disease among Europeans, researchers investigated its genetic origins. They found 61 genome-wide significant variants associated with Dupuytren's disease. Further analysis showed that three of these variants are of Neandertal origin. | ||
| How Evolutionary Changes Actively Shape Our Environment Explores how evolutionary changes in organisms actively shape and are shaped by their environment, impacting ecosystems and human society. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Humans Evolved Flexible Feet Arches to Walk Upright Discover how the human foot's flexible arch supports upright walking, running, and mobility, offering insights for evolution, biomechanics, and assistive design. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Evolutionary Insights into Human Limb Adaptation Insights into human limb evolution reveal genetic changes that shaped bipedalism, informing prosthetic design and mobility solutions for diverse needs. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Research by Texas A&M Redefines Mammalian Tree of Life New research uses the genomes of 241 species and can be used to support both animal and human health outcomes. | ||
| Brain Evolution Study Suggests Catalyst for How the Human Brain Evolved New finding came out of a study analyzing how stretches of DNA called human accelerated regions (HARs) differ between humans and chimpanzees. | ||
| Ancient DNA Reveals Multiethnic Structure of Mongolia's First Nomadic Empire The world's first nomadic empire, the Xiongnu, is being exposed thanks to painstaking archaeological excavations and new ancient DNA evidence. | ||
| Evolutionary Leap: Nitrogen's Role 800 Million Years Ago Explores how life evolved 800 million years ago, revealing changes in oxygen, oceans, and cells that shaped the path to complex organisms. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Nickelback Peptide May Explain Origins of Life on Earth New study reveals how a simple nickel-based peptide may have triggered the chemical processes that led to life on Earth billions of years ago. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Origins Federation Unites Scientists to Explore Life's Cosmic Beginnings Global scientists unite in the Origins Federation to explore the origins and evolution of life in the universe, fostering inclusive, multidisciplinary research. | ✓ ✓ | |
| How Early Earth's Chemistry Sparked the Origins of Life Explores how life may have emerged on early Earth through chemistry, energy, and natural conditions - an accessible, fascinating look at our shared origins. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Humans Still Understand Chimpanzee and Bonobo Gestures The discovery of gestures used by great apes provides evidence of intentional communication outside human language; over 80 such signals have now been identified. | ||
| Unique Human DNA Evolution Was a Balancing Act Changes to the genomes of early humans had opposing effects from each other, possibly because of a delicate balance between improved cognition and psychiatric disease risk. | ||
| Dinosaur and Bird Fossils Reveal Diversity of Prehistoric Patagonia A study provides a glimpse into dinosaur and bird diversity in Patagonia during the Late Cretaceous, just before the non-avian dinosaurs went extinct. | ||
| Evolution Disabled Human Body Hair Genes Research reveals that humans have the genes needed for a full coat of body hair, but evolution has disabled them. | ||
| Convergent Evolution: Nature's Path to Shared Solutions Discover how convergent evolution reveals nature's adaptability and resilience, offering insights into biology and inspiration for overcoming challenges. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Oldest Known Projectile Points in Americas Discovered in Idaho Archaeologists uncover stone weapon projectile points in Idaho thousands of years older than any previously found in the Americas. | ||
| Drying Cycles: A Key to Life's Origins on Early Earth Research reveals wet-dry cycles may have driven life's origins by forming polypeptides, offering insights into prebiotic chemistry and future molecular innovations. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Emergence of New Genes Cause Humans to Continually Evolve Modern humans evolutionarily split from our chimpanzee ancestors nearly 7 million years ago, yet we are continuing to evolve. | ||
| Orangutans and Humans Share Similar Speech Origins Research finds orangutans communicate using a complex repertoire of consonant-like calls, more so than African apes, which provides clues about how consonants became a part of the human language. | ||
| Octopuses, Evolution and Genetic Dark Matter Study links octopus intelligence to increased microRNAs, suggesting a shared mechanism in brain evolution across species. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Octopus Brains Mirror Human Cognition Through Shared RNA Evolution Study reveals octopuses and humans share expanded microRNA repertoires, suggesting a common molecular basis for complex brain development. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Brain Evolution from 525 Million Year Old Fossil Fossils of a tiny sea creature with a delicately preserved nervous system solve a century-old debate over how the brain evolved in arthropods. | ||
| Our Ancient Relatives Were Not So Simple A new study reveals that our ancient ancestors were a lot more complex than we originally thought. | ||
| Human, Ape and Monkey Brain Differences Study reveals the differences between brains of primates such as humans, apes and monkeys are small but significant. | ||
| Ancient Fossils Solve Evolution Question 514-million-year-old fossils reveal first skeleton-building animals were primitive jellyfish relatives, solving a key Cambrian evolution mystery. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Octopus Brain Study Uncovers Evolutionary Clues to Vision Processing Study maps octopus visual neurons, revealing evolutionary parallels and distinct brain pathways for vision, aiding neuroscience research. | ✓ ✓ | |
| 10,000-year-old Child Burial Shows Use of Baby Carrier and Heirlooms Child burial at the Arma Veirana site in Liguria, Italy provides evidence of the use of baby carriers 10,000 years ago. | ||
| Neanderthal Family Structure Revealed Ancient genomes of thirteen Neandertals provide a rare snapshot of their lifestyle, community, and social organization. | ||
| Neandertal DNA May Provide Answers to Brain Disorder Genetic Risks The study analyzed Neandertal DNA associations with a large variety of more than a hundred brain disorders and traits such as sleep, smoking, or alcohol use. | ||
| European Impact on Tonga and Pacific islands Australian National University study reveals Pacific island nations suffered severe depopulation from introduced diseases due to contact with European vessels. | ||
| Marine Phosphate and the Chemical Origins of Life How iron-rich early seawater could have held far more phosphate than thought, supplying a key ingredient for the chemical origins of life on Earth. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Salamander Brain Regeneration Unlocks Mysteries of Evolution and Regeneration Examining genes and cell types that allow axolotls to regenerate their brains may be key to improving treatment for severe injuries and unlocking regeneration potential in humans. | ||
| Neutral Networks: Tracking 100,000 RNA Ribozyme Mutants Researchers provide the first experimental evidence of a neutral network by testing over 120,000 ligase ribozyme mutants, showing how RNA gains diversity. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Exploring the Origins of Upright Walking in Human Evolution Discover how human ancestors may have evolved to walk upright in trees, reshaping our understanding of bipedalism and its origins. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Ancient DNA Provides Detailed Genomic History of the Cradle of Civilization The analysis, which examined newly sequenced ancient DNA from more than 700 individuals across the region, reveals a complex population history from the earliest farming cultures to post-Medieval times. | ||
| Sahelanthropus Tchadensis and Early Human Bipedalism A study of limb bones from the 7-million-year-old Sahelanthropus tchadensis shows habitual bipedalism combined with tree climbing early in human evolution. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Skull Study on Human and Neandertal Interbreeding Research has established traces of Neandertal DNA in the genome of modern humans. Now an exploratory study is offering new insights and supports the hypothesis that much of this interbreeding took place in the Near East. | ||
| The Evolution of Human Neurons A new study into the neurons found in the earliest-diverging animal lineages reveals vital clues about the form of the most ancestral nervous system and how it first evolved. | ||
| The Human Brain Did Not Shrink 3,000 Years Ago Did the transition to complex societies in the Holocene drive a reduction in brain size? A reassessment of the DeSilva et al. (2021) hypothesis. | ||
| Hybrid Kenyan Baboons Carry One-Third Genes from Cousins Genetic study shows Amboseli baboons in Kenya carry about a third of their DNA from a related species, revealing complex hybridization and evolutionary patterns. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Disease and Famine Drove Evolution of Lactose Tolerance New research shows that famine and exposure to infectious diseases best explain the evolution of our ability to consume milk and other non-fermented dairy products. | ||
| Prehistoric Roots of Herpes Traced Through Ancient DNA An international team of scientists uncovered and sequenced ancient genomes from the herpes virus that commonly causes lip sores. | ||
| Elders Role in Human Longevity and Social Evolution Peer-reviewed research reveals how intergenerational cooperation and elder contributions shaped human evolution's extended post-reproductive lifespan. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Study in Child Language Deficits Reveals Importance of Voluntary Imagination in Language Evolution A study of language development in children with language deficits highlights the importance of the voluntary imagination component of language. | ||
| Meraxes Gigas Dinosaur Provides Insight Into Why Many Prehistoric Meat-Eaters Had Tiny Arms The Discovery of a new meat-eating dinosaur dubbed Meraxes Gigas provides insight into the evolution and anatomy of giant carnivorous dinosaurs. | ||
| Yunnanozoan Stem Vertebrates Found in Cambrian Fossils Peer-reviewed research confirms yunnanozoans are the oldest known stem vertebrates, revealing evolutionary origins of facial and neck structures. | ✓ ✓ | |
| RNA Precursors Found in Milky Way Cloud Support Life's Cosmic Origins Study finds RNA building blocks in Milky Way's molecular cloud, supporting theories on life's origins and potential extraterrestrial life. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Cradle of Humankind Fossils Over a Million Years Older than Previously Thought A new dating method reveals the age of some fossils found at the site of Sterkfontein Caves are a million years older than previously thought. | ||
| Human and Octopus Brains Share Same Jumping Genes Octopus and human brains share active jumping genes linked to intelligence, revealing evolutionary parallels in cognitive development. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Dragon Man May Be Closer Relative Than Neanderthals The Harbin cranium fossil reveals a new human species, Homo longi, that may be our closest evolutionary relative - challenging what we know about human origins. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Protein That May Have Existed When Life Began Identified Researchers discover first and maybe only hard evidence that simple protein catalysts essential for cells to function and the building blocks of life, may have existed when life began. | ||
| Evolution: Why the Young are Often More Susceptible to Infection Research suggests many species may have evolved to prioritize growth over immunity while maturing which explains why the young are often more susceptible than adults to infection. | ||
| How Our Ancestors With Autistic Traits Led a Revolution in Ice Age Art Research reveals the ability to focus on detail, a common trait among people with autism, allowed realism to flourish in Ice Age art. | ||
| Fish Study Reveals Secrets of Immune System Evolution and Adaptation Research into ancient fish reveals key insights into the evolution of the immune system, offering potential new paths for treating immune disorders and conditions. | ✓ ✓ | |
| How Neanderthals Influenced Human Genetics at Asia and Europe Crossroads The study explores the legacy of interspecies affairs, with a focus on Western Asia, where the first relations may have occurred. | ||
| Sungir Homo Sapiens Visualized in 3D Virtual Reality Reconstructed faces of 30,000-year old Sungir Homo sapiens visualized for the first time in 3-D virtual reality. | ||
| The Hominin Species That Gave Us Genital Herpes Paranthropus boisei was the species in the right place and time to contract HSV2 from ancestral chimpanzees and transmit it to our earliest ancestors, probably Homo erectus. | ||
| Modern Humans Emerged Over 350,000 Years Ago Results from study of ancient DNA show that 2000-year-old remains of boy found at Ballito Bay in KwaZulu-Natal during the 1960s helped to rewrite human history. | ||
| Ötzi, the 5,000 Year Old Iceman Genetic analysis of ancient DNA reveals that modern humans carry higher disease risks than ancestors, though long-term evolution has reduced genetic health threats. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Clues to Ghost Species of Ancient Human Discovered Scientists discover hints that ghost species of archaic humans may have contributed genetic material to ancestors of people living in Sub-Saharan Africa today. | ||
| Why a Teen with Bone Cancer Was Buried on Witch Hill in 1300 AD Report identifies bone tumor in upper right arm of adolescent buried around 1300 AD at a site in western Panama called Cerro Brujo or Witch Hill. | ||
| Where Do Humans Come From? Homo Naledi's Young Age Creates More Questions Rising Star Cave system, the richest fossil hominin site in Africa, contains new hominin species named Homo naledi. | ||
| Human Ways of Thinking Evolved 1.8M Years Ago Evidence that human-like ways of thinking may have emerged as early as 1.8 million years ago place the appearance of human-like cognition at the emergence of Homo erectus. | ||
| Autism and Human Evolutionary Emergence of Collaborative Morality It is likely our ancestors would have had autism, with genetics suggesting the condition has a long evolutionary history. | ||
| Course of Human Evolution Could Change With Gene Editing Technology New gene-editing technology could eliminate some inherited diseases but also change the course of human evolution. | ||
| How Our Ancestors Turned Disability Into Advantage Exploring how ancestral populations adapted to disabilities sheds light on the evolutionary roots of human resilience and social cooperation. | ✓ ✓ | |
| What is the Paleolithic or Caveman Diet The Paleolithic diet, or caveman diet, is a weight-loss craze where people emulate the diet of plants and animals eaten by early humans during the Stone Age. | ||
| Evolutionary Roots of the Ebola Virus Study finds filoviruses likely existed in the Miocene Epoch, and at that time, the evolutionary lines leading to Ebola and Marburg had already diverged. | ||
| Can Phobias Be Inherited? Genetic Fear Transmission Parents' traumatic experiences and phobias may pass to children through epigenetic inheritance, affecting fear responses across multiple generations. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Why Male Noses Are 10% Larger Than Female Noses University of Iowa research explains males have 10% larger noses than females due to greater lean muscle mass requiring increased oxygen intake and transport. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Charles Dickens Literature Showcased Discrimination Against Disabled Charles Dickens characters and plots often dealt with difficult social realities and portrayal of disabled and social discrimination they faced is no exception. | ||
| Humans Losing Intellectual and Emotional Abilities Humans are losing intellectual and emotional abilities due to human intelligence and behavior requiring optimal functioning of a large number of genes, which requires enormous evolutionary pressures to maintain. | ||
| Genetic Engineering: Crafting Our Own Evolution Maxwell J. Mehlman book examines direct human evolution and genetic engineering where parents could prevent passing on inherent diseases to their children. | ||
| Humans Part Neanderthal: DNA Evidence from X Study Peer-reviewed research shows non-African humans carry Neanderthal DNA on the X chromosome, proving ancient interbreeding between the two populations. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Did Elizabeth Barrett Browning Have Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis Did Elizabeth Barrett Browning have hypokalemic periodic paralysis HKPP a muscle disorder that causes blood levels of potassium to fall. | ||
| How Traditional American Families Are Changing in Modern Times Explores how evolving American family structures impact caregiving, aging, disability support, and community life across generations. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Asthma Study by Medical Anthropologist Asthma global implications and understanding a widespread, chronic condition as seen through the eyes of a medical anthropologist. | ||
| Paternal Diet Effects on Offspring Gene Expression Study Peer-reviewed research shows fathers' diets alter gene expression in offspring through epigenetic inheritance, affecting cholesterol and lipid synthesis. | ✓ ✓ | |
| Alternative Evolution: Why Change Your Own Genes When You Can Borrow Someone Else's Principle of evolution that plants and animals can adapt genetically in ways that help them better survive and reproduce. | ||
| Ardipithecus Ramidus - Ardi - Oldest Skeleton of Human Ancestors Discovery of Ardi a relatively complete Ardipithecus ramidus fossil skeleton sheds light on human evolution. |
Key: the first check mark indicates the publication carries an editor's note; the second indicates a footnote.
Note: Disabled World compiles disability-related publications as a resource. Inclusion does not imply endorsement by Disabled-World.com. To submit disability-related articles and peer-reviewed manuscripts and papers, ensure submissions comply with our guidelines. For questions, please contact us.
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