Are we humans simply remodelled apes? Chimps with a tweak? Is the difference between our genomes so minuscule it justifies the argument that our cognition and behaviour must also differ from chimps by barely a whisker? If “chimps are us” should we grant them human rights? Or is this one of the biggest fallacies in the study of evolution? NOT A CHIMP argues that these similarities have been grossly over-exaggerated - we should keep chimps at arm’s length. Are humans cognitively unique after all?
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
The amygdala: inside and out
Here's a very good review of what we now know about the explicit and implicit role of the amygdala in judging trustworthiness in faces, and in supporting empathic, socially appropriate behaviour. Changes in structure and function of the amygdala are associated with social intelligence pathologies like sociopathy.