Physiology

Independent experts publish open letter challenging AAAS on failure to accept academic responses revealing key flaws in Science Magazine article…

MILANO, Italy, Feb. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- An Open Letter to AAAS Science Magazine from members of the SeTA (Science and Technology for Agriculture, http://www.setanet.it) network.

In a recent letter to Science, Peng et al. (2020) argue that the USA and the European Union (EU) should enact a total ban on glyphosate on the grounds that it causes "a cascade of neuro-endocrine disruption to the development, physiology, and behaviour of honeybees" and that "some evidence has indicated that glyphosate could promote (sic) cancer in humans." Consequently, they call for "natural and ecological weedkilling alternatives and less intensive farming practices."

The authors cherry-pick references, some of them being second-handed (e.g.: # 1, 3, 8, 9, 10), to support their statements, and pay little attention to the need of making assessments under real-life conditions of exposure of both humans and wild-life. The few original scientific papers that are quoted (# 4, 5, 6) have little indication that the experimental conditions resemble real life wild animals exposure and have not been independently replicated.

There is an almost complete consensus by the governmental regulatory bodies in the world (see e.g. EPA, EChA, EFSA, FAO/WHO JMPR) that glyphosate does not harm human health. Only IARC (2015) concluded that glyphosate is probably carcinogenic to humans while EPA warned against labelling glyphosate containing products as carcinogenic (EPA 2019). Hence, there is no ground to call for a ban of glyphosate because of its carcinogenicity despite a vocal media campaign in this respect, which should not be part of a scientific debate; see their reference #8 which is from an activists' association. Unless we want, as their reference #1 proposes, that regulatory decisions are based on ordeal rather than science.

In conclusion, the call for the ban of glyphosate is unsubstantiated because its use appears safe for humans and wildlife if applied appropriately according to the approved indication. Moreover, its ban will have both economic and environmental negative consequences to agriculture, including the possibility of either abandonment of conservation agriculture, a practice strongly promoted worldwide to improve soil and water quality, or the application of less effective and more expensive chemical and non-chemical means. Other approaches suggested by Peng et al., such as "root exudates, crop rotation, mulch, herbicidal soaps, fatty acids, and industrial vinegar" looks like morewishful thinking than a real alternative, as indeed suggested by their reference #11.

As side notes we would like to point out that Peng et al. confuse herbicides such asglyphosate with insecticides such as DDT and parathion which, acting on the nervous system, under uncontrolled exposures cause harm to humans. Therefore, glyphosate cannot be an "alternative" to DDT and parathion as stated. Moreover, reference #11 is misreported, since the first, and not the last, names of the authors are given, and reference #3 is misquoted since it does not report on human toxicity of either glyphosate or insecticides; rather, it hints that glyphosate may be more ecologically sustainable than its alternatives, a correct statement for us.

Angelo Moretto, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences , Universit degli Studi di Milano and International Centre for Pesticides and Health Risks Prevention, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Milano, Italy

Vittoria Brambilla, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Universit degli Studi di Milano, Italy

Roberto Defez, IBBR-CNR, Napoli, Italy

Aldo Ferrero, Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, Universit degli Studi di Torino, Italy

Donatello Sandroni, Giornalismo & Comunicazione, Crotta d'Adda (CR), Italy

All authors are member of the SeTA (Science and Technology for Agriculture, http://www.setanet.it) network.

NOTE: A shorter version of this letter was rejected by Science editor who did not provide us with an explanation. It was also sent to Nature but there was no answer after the acknowledgment. The full text with footnotes and references of this letter is available at: https://science20.org/angelo-moretto/20200213/open-letter-aaas-science-magazine-science-and-technology-agriculture

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Independent experts publish open letter challenging AAAS on failure to accept academic responses revealing key flaws in Science Magazine article...

Physiology

Pulitzer-winning Jared Diamond calls on young Japanese to take action on env. issues – The Mainichi

Jared Diamond, professor of biology at the University of California, speaks with the Mainichi Shimbun during a Dec. 13, 2019 interview in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. (Mainichi/Kota Yoshida)

TOKYO -- In a call-out to Japanese people, American geographer Jared Diamond said, "Tell them (older people and people in power) when they're doing stupid things, such as investing in coal-fired plants and having a national pension firm that is investing in coal-fired industries."

University of California professor of geography Diamond is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Guns, Germs, and Steel". In his books, he looks into the causes of environmental problems based on his theories of human civilization and organization, raising questions about the state of civilization which people should strive for.

The 82-year-old held a press conference in Japan last December as a recipient of the 28th Blue Planet Prize, which is given to people whose work has contributed significantly to the improvement of the global environment. There, he encouraged young people in Japan, which he described as a "country in the developed world most sensitive to the effects of climate change," to vote, discuss and voice their opinions.

Born in the United States, Diamond earned a doctoral degree in physiology at Britain's University of Cambridge. After graduating, he conducted research on the human gallbladder back in the U.S. while also carrying out field research on birds in New Guinea.

The birth of his twin sons in 1987 had a great impact on his carrier path. He recalled thinking, "I will be dead in 2050 because I was born in 1937, but my sons will be at the peak of their lives in the year 2050. And their lives are going to be determined by the state of their environment."

Diamond told a Mainichi Shimbun reporter that he was especially concerned about the risks of climate change, depletion of quality resources and the risks of a nuclear war. He added, "And so at the age of 50, I began a career shift to writing books about the effect of geography and history on the lives of people."

During the interview, Diamond sharply criticized Japan's dependence on overseas natural resources and coal-fired power plants, as well as Tokyo's measures against climate change.

When asked what Japan needs to do to solve environmental issues, he explained, "Political will throughout the world is necessary to reduce energy consumption and to shift more of our energy to renewable sources. For example, for Japanese banks to stop investing in coal-fired plants."

(Japanese original by Ai Oba, Science & Environment News Department)

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Pulitzer-winning Jared Diamond calls on young Japanese to take action on env. issues - The Mainichi

Physiology

Arthur Michalek Receives Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor at Clarkson University – Clarkson University News

Professor Arthur Michalek

Clarkson University President Tony Collins has announced that Arthur Michalek has been granted tenure and promoted from assistant professor to associate professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering in the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering.

Professor Michalek's research focuses on biomechanics of low back pain, with a particular focus on injury and repair of the intervertebral disc. This soft connective tissue structure is responsible for the dual roles of maintaining stability and connectivity of the spinal column while also allowing it to bend. The disc is composed of a complex, hierarchical fiber reinforced composite, which is extremely strong but slow to heal from injuries.

Current areas of investigation include growth and development of fibrous tissue structures, the mechanical consequences of tissue damage at a broad range of size scales, and evaluation of clinical therapeutic procedures with an eye towards minimizing invasiveness. This is accomplished through integration of mechanical testing, advanced digital imaging and analysis, and analytical modeling.

He received his bachelor of science and master of science degrees in mechanical engineering from Clarkson and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Vermont.

Before coming to Clarkson, Michalek was a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics at the University of Vermont, where he worked to develop experimental techniques to relate post-translational modifications to changes in conformational and mechanical properties of single molecules. Prior to that, he was a post-doctoral research associate at UVM's School of Engineering.

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Arthur Michalek Receives Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor at Clarkson University - Clarkson University News

Physiology

Allowing arts, commerce students in B Sc Nursing will lower quality: Nurses associations – The News Minute

Indian Nursing Councils recent proposal calls for allowing students from arts, humanities or commerce backgrounds to be eligible for the four-year B Sc Nursing course.

The recent proposal of the Indian Nursing Council (INC) to open B Sc Nursing course for students from non-science backgrounds has met with strong opposition from nurses and nursing students associations in the country.

It was recently that the Indian Nursing Council put out a proposal which states that the students who studied in arts, humanities or commerce background in class 12 can also apply for the four-year B Sc Nursing course, just like the science students.However, many say that this will adversely impact the quality of education, and the nurses who pass out of the courses.

The Indian Nursing Council, after publishing the draft proposal had given time from the stakeholders to raise their feedback about it till January 24, and the associations say that many have stated their objections.

There is widespread resentment among the nursing community against this proposal, so we hope they take it back or else, we will be forced to take streets against the move, said Dr Sona PS, Kerala state President of Trained Nurses Association of India.

Against eligibility of non-science students

Indian Nursing Council says that B Sc Nursing will be a four-year full-time program comprising eight semesters, which prepares a student to become a registered nurse qualified to practice in a variety of settings in either government or private healthcare settings. The proposal states that candidates with Science/Arts/Humanities/Commerce who have passed the 12th Standard examination (10+2) and have obtained a minimum of 45% marks in the core/elective/academic subjects taken together and passed English individually are eligible.

But what are the students going to learn if they do not possess the basic understanding about human anatomy and physiology which they learn during class 11 and 12? This proposal, if it comes into force will lower the standards of the nurses that pass out from the country. Even to get admission for a paramedical course, the student needs to have a science background. How can a professional nursing course, which requires an aptitude for the profession, allow a student coming from non-science background? Dr D Manivannan, Tamil Nadu state secretary of Trained Nurses Association of India, questioned.

It is not just the nursing professionals who are opposing the proposal. Students point out that it's not feasible too, given that first year students will likely have to study, among other subjects, human anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and microbiology.

Even the students coming from science background struggle to clear these papers. We dont understand what a student of humanities or commerce is going to do without even knowing the basics of these subjects, said Arjun BP, Vice-President of Student Nurses Associations Kerala chapter.

There are also some issues with the structure of the course. Arjun adds that the semester system that will replace the yearly system - will make it more difficult for students to cover their already tough syllabus. And Dr Sona points out that the new proposal has made the teacher-student ratio from one teacher for 10students to one teacher per 15 students.

Might be to attract more students

The Indian Nursing Council had in 2019 decided to stop the diploma course in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) from 2021. According to experts, this diploma course was a popular nursing course because it cost less than B Sc Nursing. In some states, GNM was offered for students from non-science backgrounds also.

In the case of Kerala, at present, there is no shortage of students for B Sc Nursing -- the demand is in surplus in fact. But that is not the situation in many states in north India. So, we think this proposal of the Council to start the degree course for students of all streams is aimed to increase the student flow to B Sc, Dr Sona said.

She added that though many non-science students used to opt for GNM course, when they come to practice in Kerala, they will have to clear an exam of the Kerala Nursing Council, which most of them fail to.

Backlash for brand name Kerala nurses

Kerala is one of the best states in the country in terms of healthcare facilities, and is known for its nursing community abroad as well. With the proposed criteria for entry to B Sc Nursing, it is feared that the quality nurses passing out will reduce, eventually reducing demand of nurses from Kerala.

The nursing community from Kerala has a special reputation globally compared to nurses from other states in India. That is because of the quality of the professionals passing out from the state. But if this proposal allowing non-science students to study the course comes into effect, it will tarnish the image internationally. It will also impact the brand name of nursing communities from Kerala, said Aneesh D, staff advisor of Kerala chapter of Students Nursing Association.

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Allowing arts, commerce students in B Sc Nursing will lower quality: Nurses associations - The News Minute

Physiology

Circadian rhythms in the absence of the clock gene Bmal1 – Science Magazine

Redundancy in circadian clocks?

The transcription factor BMAL1 is a core component of the mammalian circadian clock; without it, circadian behaviors are abolished. However, Ray et al. found that in animals lacking BMAL1, peripheral tissues synchronized with a brief pulse of the glucocorticoid hormone dexamethasone appear to retain a 24-hour pacemaker that sustains rhythmic gene expression, protein abundance, and protein phosphorylation in excised liver cells and fibroblasts (see the Perspective by Brown and Sato). These oscillations persisted in the absence of cues from changes in light or temperature. The results raise intriguing questions about the possible nature of the oscillator that maintains the observed rhythms.

Science, this issue p. 800; see also p. 740

Circadian (~24 hour) clocks have a fundamental role in regulating daily physiology. The transcription factor BMAL1 is a principal driver of a molecular clock in mammals. Bmal1 deletion abolishes 24-hour activity patterning, one measure of clock output. We determined whether Bmal1 function is necessary for daily molecular oscillations in skin fibroblasts and liver slices. Unexpectedly, in Bmal1 knockout mice, both tissues exhibited 24-hour oscillations of the transcriptome, proteome, and phosphoproteome over 2 to 3 days in the absence of any exogenous drivers such as daily light or temperature cycles. This demonstrates a competent 24-hour molecular pacemaker in Bmal1 knockouts. We suggest that such oscillations might be underpinned by transcriptional regulation by the recruitment of ETS family transcription factors, and nontranscriptionally by co-opting redox oscillations.

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Circadian rhythms in the absence of the clock gene Bmal1 - Science Magazine

Physiology

Nuptial Gifts and Other Romantic Gestures of the Bug World – Entomology Today

Female Laupala cerasina crickets (also known as Hawaiian swordtail crickets) often consume several protein-packed nuptial gifts from males before mating. The final protein capsule containing reproductive material is visible on the male on the left. Both crickets are marked with paint for identification by researchers. (Photo by Biz Turnell)

Adrienne Antonsen

By Adrienne Antonsen

On Valentines Day across the globe, people often offer presents to their loved ones. Many insects are also gift-givers. Known as nuptial gifts, these treats can help attract a partner and improve reproductive success.

In honor of this day of romance, heres a look at recent entomological research on how some insects and other arthropods woo one another with gifts.

Male nursery web spiders of the species Pisaura mirabilis prefer giving larger nuptial gifts to potential partners, but they may feed on the gift before giving it away if they are particularly hungry. (Video via YouTube/Team Candiru)

Nursery web spiders (family Pisauridae) are well known for their mating ritual in which males often present females with a silk-wrapped prey item before beginning copulation. These nuptial gifts lower the likelihood that females will eat the males, increase the length of time females permit copulation, and improve fertilization success.

A recent study investigated what size of gift Pisaura mirabilis males prefer to present to females and whether or not they feed on the prey item before giving it away. To test this, male spiders of variable body condition were presented with either a large or small cricket nymph in an environment with or without female pheromones. The researchers found that, regardless of body condition, males preferred to produce large nuptial gifts over small ones, indicating an energetically costly gift ultimately pays off better than cutting corners with a smaller gift. However, if the males were in poor bodily condition, they were more likely to feed on the gift before offering it to a female. But hey, its the thought that counts, right?

Female Rhamphomyia longicauda flies, known as long-tailed dance flies, inflate their abdomens during courtship to appear more fecund than they may actually be (uninflated at rest at left, inflated in flight at right). Their leg scales also serve as a sexual ornament to attract males. (Photo by Dave Funk)

When it comes to romance, Rhamphomyia longicauda, often known as the long-tailed dance fly, switches things up. Most often in the animal world its the females who do the choosing and the males who do the wooing, but those roles are reversed for dance flies. Females dont hunt, so they rely completely on nuptial gifts provided by males for nutrition. The females fly in groups at dusk and dawn waiting for males to bring food to them. To make themselves appear more desirable, females fill their abdomens with air to advertise their eggs as being more mature than they may truly be, a characteristic that males seek out.

Mating takes place in flight, and males bear the weight of both the nuptial gift and the female while she feeds upon it. So, just how large can a female get without becoming too heavy to hold onto in flight? To test this question, researchers studied a wild population to see whether the wing loading of males (i.e, wing area relative to body mass) was related to the mass of the female dance flies they ultimately mated with. Contrary to their hypothesis that males with higher wing loading would select smaller females, the researchers found the opposite. This indicates that male long-tailed dance flies dont experience the same load-lifting constraints that other dance flies do. When it comes to long-tailed dance flies finding a date, being bigger is better.

Female imported cabbageworm butterflies (Pieris rapae), also known as cabbage white butterflies, depend less on nuptial gifts from males in agricultural environments where nitrogen is abundant. When a female is unreceptive to courtship she will spread her wings and raise her abdomen, as shown here, to prevent the male from attaching and mating with her. (Photo by Wikipedia user Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 3.0)

In imported cabbageworm butterflies (Pieris rapae), also known as cabbage white butterflies, nitrogen plays an important role in mate selection. The nutrient makes up a significant amount of the nuptial gift passed from males to females during copulation, an important source of energy for female butterflies. Nitrogen is also used in wing pigmentation, a cue the butterflies can use to visually assess mate quality. Researchers wondered how variable nitrogen availability, specifically due to anthropogenic influences, might affect cabbage white mating behavior and physiology. To test this, they compared cabbage white butterflies from a non-agricultural population with a population from an agricultural setting where fertilizer has significantly increased nitrogen availability.

Several differences became apparent between the two populations. First, while females from the non-agricultural site typically mated with more than one male, agricultural females tended to mate only once, thus receiving fewer nuptial gifts. The agricultural females were also less choosy when selecting a mate. Second, the toothed structures used to break down nuptial gifts were reduced in agricultural females reproductive tracts, indicating a reduced need for the nutrients. Third, both males and females from the agricultural population had increased wing pigmentation. Altogether these results suggest that changes in nitrogen availability can affect cabbage white reproductive behavior and physiology in a multitude of ways. As the world changes, so do the rules of romance for these butterflies.

To reproduce, male insects will often transfer their genetic material to females via a protein capsule known as a spermatophore. Sometimes, however, these capsules may contain only nutrients and no genetic material. These are called microspermatophores and serve as nuptial gifts. Males of the cricket species Laupala cerasina, also known as the Hawaiian swordtail cricket, typically present females with anywhere from one to nine of these nuptial gifts before transferring the final capsule that contains their genetic material. (See a male and female L. cerasina pair in the image at the top of this article.) This process can take several hours. Why do these crickets go to all this effort of producing capsules without any reproductive material inside? As it turns out, the nuptial gifts improve the amount of genetic material successfully transferred from the final spermatophore to the female.

Researchers wanted to find out if the number of nuptial gifts a male Hawaiian swordtail cricket presents to a female affects the number of future offspring that are sired. To test this, the researchers paired a female cricket with two males: one that mated earlier in the day with a different female and one that did not. Males that had mated earlier transferred fewer microspermatophores to the female during the second mating. Using DNA sequencing, it was then possible to directly compare both the number and paternity of the offspring produced. As it turned out, females had a higher number and higher proportion of offspring with the males that offered a greater number of nuptial gifts. So, these crickets better not be stingy with their gifts when its time for love!

Take a cue from these creatures and get your gifts in order for the love bugs in your life this Valentines Day.

Adrienne Antonsen is a graduate student in entomology at North Dakota State University. Email: adrienne.antonsen@ndsu.edu

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Nuptial Gifts and Other Romantic Gestures of the Bug World - Entomology Today

Physiology

UC Davis Mental Health Conference focuses on awareness and reducing stigma – The Aggie

The fourth annual conference hosted presentations by experts and students in a broad spectrum of fields

Students and Davis community members alike gathered to the UC Davis Conference Center on Jan. 25 to start off the fourth-annual Mental Health Conference. Inspired by the Reclaim Mental Health Conference hosted by UC Irvine, the UC Davis Mental Health Conference first began in 2016 as an entirely student-run ASUCD project and is the largest mental health conference in northern California. This year, the conference garnered international attention and had over 300 attendees.

The two-day conference is run by the mental health initiative with support from ASUCD though getting funding has not been easy, according to Deborah Widjaja, co-director of the Mental Health Initiative. Widjaja, who is also a fifth year neurology, physiology, and behavior major, attested to the efforts of the mental health initiative team members and board for organizing the event.

I personally have worked with many other organizations both in high school and my earlier years in college and Ive never worked with a team as compassionate and loving and dedicated as these folks who are fighting for a cause that is so highly stigmatized, Widjaja said.

The conference sought to raise awareness for various topics surrounding mental health as it becomes an ever prevalent issue in college students. According to a report by the American College Health Association, 41.9% of college students have felt so depressed that it was difficult to function and 63.4% have felt overwhelming anxiety in the past 12 months.

Opening keynote speaker Dailyn Santana, a Cuban American actress and mental health advocate, started off the conference with a spoken word poem. Her presentation focused on combating stigma as she spoke of her own experiences with bipolar disorder.

I remember my parents feeling personally responsible for my manic episode. They felt like they failed me as a parent, that it was all their fault, Santana said. But, the reality is, my illness had to finally make itself present in a way that I could finally get the diagnosis and help that I need.

The conference also featured 12 different speakers in four different 50-minute workshop sets with the option to choose between 3 speakers during each workshop.

Each workshop set featured a range of topics that touched upon different aspects of mental health, including police use of force and individuals with mental illness, harm reduction and music therapy. Second-year neurology, physiology, and behavior major Macy Mehdioun, who is also a team member of the UC Davis mental health initiative, said that this broad approach is crucial in gaining perspective on mental health issues.

We address mental health with people on the autism spectrum* or with immigration, so its trying to address different topics and the way mental health connects with everything, Mehdioun said. Just to learning something new and [to be] able to use what you learn from this conference in everyday life.

While a wide range of topics were covered, each speaker delved deep into their subject area. For instance, Dr. Laramie Taylor, who is also a UC Davis professor in the Department of Communication, began his presentation about the power of the media in influencing how one thinks about their body by introducing research data, building upon this to draw conclusions about how to improve mental wellness.

Student and professional panels were also run during the first day of the conference, providing attendees a chance to learn from industry specialists in counseling and emergency medicine. The day closed out with a one and a half hour Question Persuade Refer (QPR) session, which helps individuals identify the signs of suicide and how to respond in such a situation.

The city of Davis itself offers many different resources to support mental health wellness and awareness, and those were highlighted during the resource fair at the conference. Groups such as the Yolo County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), an organization that educates and advocates for mental illness recovery, and the Postpartum Anxiety N Depression Advocates (PANDA), a student organized club at UC Davis that raises awareness about perinatal mood disorders were tabling at the event.

Attendees overall said that the conference shed light on some of the more important issues in mental health. First-year biochemistry and molecular biology major Jagnoor Randhawa found the event to be greatly beneficial in expanding in her awareness of mental health and ways of approaching the relating issues.

I feel like having a mental health conference is a great way to show awareness and also reduce stigma regarding mental health issues, Randhawa said. Due to mental health awareness, the chances for early intervention can increase, which can result in a fast recovery.

Co-director of the Mental Health Initiative Cindy Chen, who is also a fourth-year animal science major, says her hope is that the mental health conference leaves a lasting impact year after year on the people who attend.

The workshops and panels are equally important and its a place for people to share their stories, and it gives people the chance to see how each individual handles their situation differently, Chen said. I hope people keep [the stories] in mind and that gives them more ideas for how to spread mental health awareness in the future [] and that it kind of helps alleviate the stigma a little bit better, and that it can help keep the conversation going.

*The Alternative Treatments for Autism workshop was canceled and a Supporting People with Hoarding Challenges workshop was held instead.

Written by: Lei Otsuka features@theaggie.org

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UC Davis Mental Health Conference focuses on awareness and reducing stigma - The Aggie

Human Behavior

Here’s why we should hope self-driving tech is ready soon – Axios

This week during several automated driving demonstrations in Arizona I was reminded why we should all hope self-driving technology is ready soon.

Why it matters: Self-driving cars don't get drunk, tired, distracted or do things that are just plain stupid behaviors I saw in spades on the roads in and around Phoenix and Tuscon.

Details: Not five minutes into a Waymo One ride (with a backup safety driver) in Chandler, a driver blasted through a red light and T-boned another car just ahead of me.

Road rage is a different problem, for which there might not be a solution until all cars are driven by robots.

Driving the news: A disgruntled former Waymo safety driver was arrested this week and charged with aggravated assault and reckless driving for allegedly trying to cause a crash with Waymo vehicles.

One reassuring incident: A bicyclist told me in a Tweet message about a near-miss he had with an unoccupied driverless Waymo vehicle. He thought the vehicle making a left turn was going to strike him as he rode through the intersection.

The bottom line: 36,560 people died in highway accidents in 2018. The vast majority of those accidents were caused by human behavior.

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Here's why we should hope self-driving tech is ready soon - Axios

Human Behavior

PHS Honors Essay Project: The True Nature of Humans – theportlandbeacon.com

The true nature of humans is self-interested. Humans are born selfish and without a nurturing upbringing, will continue to be selfish their entire lives. Henceforth a deeper understanding of human actions is produced when the true nature of humans is accepted.

Humans are born self-interested. Children rely on their parents for everything. As they develop, they are taught right from wrong by their parents and society as a whole. In the story of Lord of the Flies, William Golding spins a tale of what happens when there is no authoritative figure or civil society to tell children right from wrong. In the story, the character Roger is one of the antagonists. He is one of the older boys on the island and among the group of hunters. While the boys are frolicking on the idyllic beach, Roger throws stones at a younger child and purposely misses. Golding explains the situation as Here was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Rogers arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins, (87). The orderly civilization the boys have left behind coerced Roger from his sociopathic tendencies. Later in the novel, Roger is free of civil limitations and his actions are rash, destructive, and violent, eventually ending in murder. Rogers actions in the novel Lord of the Flies exemplifies that humans are born, at the very least self-interested, at the most, evil.

An infants self-interested nature often persists into childhood, but the parents tend to curb their behavior at this time. During this early period, children learn how to be acceptable in society. They learn the laws, learn in school, and learn right from wrong, what to do and not to do. In the article, Psychopathy to Altruism: Neurobiology of the Selfish - Selfless Spectrum, the author discusses the upbringing of children, ... promoting positive behavior via the brain reward system... to mitigate violent, destructive behavior. (Sonne). This article explains how parents reward their children for behavior they see as positive and refuse to reward behavior they see as negative. However, this method is not necessarily teaching children right from wrong, but rather teaching children what behavior will get them a reward and what will not. Children adhere to these rules simply because they know if they do, they will be rewarded. Children act, in societys view, good not because it is their true nature but because they want to be rewarded. An example of this is when a young person does something unhealthy or criminal, like smoking or stealing, society tends to give them the excuse that they had a bad childhood. The definition of a bad childhood is one that lacked the proper nurture, in which a child was not strictly taught right from wrong. Golding expertly illustrates this value of nurture in his novel. At the beginning of the novel, while the boys are romping along the beach, some of the older boys, including one named Maurice, kick sand into some of the younger childrens faces. Maurice immediately feels guilty. His former life would have punished him for hurting someone else. But on the island, no one does. Had Maurice grown up on the island without a civil upbringing, he would not have felt guilty for kicking sand in someones eyes. He would not have known it was wrong and would not have stopped. The other boys would have acted the same way. Therefore, if a child is not groomed to societys molds, they act as their true nature desires, self-interestedly.

In almost every situation, it is easier to be selfish. When children discover the selfish choice and they are not deterred, they will discover an easier course for themselves. The child will find that the selfish decision is easier and choose to make selfish decisions more often. Young children dont have a moral compass to tell them if a decision they are making is harmful and hurting others. It is a parents job to inspire a moral compass in their child.

One may argue that no human is born evil. However, Goldings Lord of the Flies disproves this claim with the character of Roger. Roger is a sociopath who uses the circumstances on the island to satisfy his violent impulses. As stated in the novel, Roger was conditioned during his upbringing to not harm another human because it is immoral. Nevertheless, on the island, he hurt many of his fellow boys and even murders one of them. If all children were truly born good, Roger would not have committed any of his horrid deeds. But even with his civilized upbringing, he does. Therefore, children are not born good but are instead born selfish.

If people are truly inherently altruistic, then how could they live with the state of the dying earth and the state of humanity itself. If humans are truly good, then such things would not be happening or would have been stopped by previous generations. But it is, people are starving and dying and the planet itself may soon be uninhabitable for humans. Because people are too self-centered to see the big picture. A possible solution to this extensive problem would be laws backing the protection of the environment but no comprehensive legislation has passed. The article Democratic, Accountable States Are Impossible Without Behavioral Humans proves how humans selfish nature is preventing society from bettering and improving. Accountable, democratic government is impossible assuming that selfinterested individuals... are the only available citizen, (Putterman). People dont aid climate change fighting or species saving efforts because its not directly affecting them. Humans are too often focused on the here and now. This is explained in the book Living in the Anthropocene: Earth in the Age of Human, the book argues, The human negligence of the earth: how extinctions of fauna are caused by our own selfish desire, (Sajal). Tens of thousands of species worldwide are endangered and people arent providing proper aid even though humans are responsible for their demise. A reason for this is provided in the article A Game of Cards, which explains that fear is what drives humans to be so selfish. Existence of fear and mans inability to cope with fear bring about the worst in him. (Cousins). Humans fear what may happen to themselves or their interests if they are vulnerable or self-sacrificing. So they keep their heads down and ignore the issues occurring all around them. The state of the planet is proof that humans are selfish, self-centered, and self-interested.

Humans are inherently self-interested. The underlying nature of humans is selfish and self-centered, once accepted, peoples motivation for their actions becomes clear and defined. Human behavior is explained through their inherently selfish nature.

Works Cited

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Golding, William, et al. William Goldings Lord of the Flies: Text, Notes and

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PUTTERMAN, Louis. DEMOCRATIC, ACCOUNTABLE STATES ARE

IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT BEHAVIORAL HUMANS. Wiley Online Library, John

Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 8 Feb. 2018,

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/apce.12198

Sajal, Roy. Living in the Anthropocene: Earth in the Age of Humans. Environment

and History, 1 Jan. 1970,

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Selfless Spectrum. Frontiers, Frontiers, 5 Apr. 2018,

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This is one of 24 essays that will be written by PHS Honors English students in collaboration with The Portland Beacon over the next six months. Ms. Chandra Polasek, PHS Honors English and Drama teacher, will provide the essays on a regular basis to The Beacon. All essays are original work of the students.

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PHS Honors Essay Project: The True Nature of Humans - theportlandbeacon.com

Human Behavior

A viral coyote-badger video demonstrates the incredible complexity of nature – High Country News

Somewhere in the Southern Santa Cruz Mountains of California, a coyote playfully bows to an American badger just before both duck into a culvert under a highway, the coyote casually trotting along with the badger waddling close behind. When the Peninsula Open Space Trust and Pathways For Wildlife shared a remote video of the crossing online in early February, it went viral. The video is part of a project to help wild animals move around safely in high-traffic, dangerous areas, something critical to maintaining populations genetic health. I greatly admire this work. However, what makes this particular crossing exceptional, to me, as a behavioral ecologist, are the deeper implications of the video itself.

The first thing that excites me is that it allows the charisma of this partnership to reach a broad audience. Scientists have observed coyotes and badgers working together before; one study even demonstrated that both species have an easier time catching prey when they hunt together. But the more the general public sees the playful, social side of two extremely persecuted carnivores, the better. I will never stop sharing videos of coyotes playing with dog toys or domestic animal companions, or scaling crab-apple trees for a snack.

The second thing that excites me is what the video means for animal research, management and behavioral ecology. There isnt a consistentnatural rulethat coyotes and badgers get along; in fact, the two species sometimes kill and eat one another. This demonstrates the flexibility in natural processes. Humans (many scientists included) are often guilty of thinking animal behavior must follow hard and fast rules: Stimulus A elicits Behavior B, always. I see this a lot when people ask me about canine behavior or crow calls; a wagging tail doesnt always indicate a happy dog, for instance, and certain crow calls mean very different things in different circumstances, much the way the intention behind a humans use of the word hey varies with tone, inflection and context.

A badger and coyote hunt prairie dogs together at Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota.

Charlie Summers

Experiments and rules that eliminate context often end up framing animal behavior and ecological associations as coded, robotic and inflexible. People tend to think of animal actions as simply instinct, denying the role of thinking, plasticity and decision-making in other creatures lives.

Scientifically, we are finally emerging from a dark period of studying nature simply as a stimulus-and-instinct-driven movie that humans can observe the kind of thinking used to justify government-funded culls and mass indiscriminate killing of native species. Recent research demonstrates the cognitive and cultural capabilities of non-human animals, as well as the importance of their proclivities and personalities, and more data keep piling up. Some individual animals, for example, have the right combination of bold, exploratory traits to do well in human-dominated landscapes, while more cautious ones may flourish in relatively rural and wild landscapes. In fact, researchers have observed population-level genetic changes in city-dwellers compared to their country cousins of the same species, in everything from coyotes to anoles and black widow spiders.

Different animals also hold different social statuses within an ecosystem. Much like what can happen within a human community, the death of a specific individual may have a large impact on social structure. Ive watched whole regions of crows restructure their social dynamics and movements due to the death of a single key individual, and Ive seen how age and experience shape individuals and the behavior they pass on to others. Wildlife managers must take all of this into account rather than relying on the traditional, numbers-only management style that treats all individuals of a species as if they have equal weight in an ecosystem.

In the viral video, I see an elegant demonstration of how complex and flexible nature is. How intelligent these two animals are not simply two animal-robots reacting solely to stimuli. How the body language and ease between them suggests that they know each other as individuals, and that those individuals matter.

While its scientifically prudent to acknowledge only the data that exist in peer-reviewed studies, we humans must broaden our lens and see the metaphorical forest before we get lost in the trees. We must hold each other, management agencies and policymakers accountable for the broader picture that the evidence is highlighting and use it to better relate to the world we live in, and the organisms that exist alongside us.

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The key struggle is getting these ideas into the zeitgeist of modern human culture, a mission that social media has greatly enhanced. So here I am, a behavioral ecologist who is grateful that a single 12-second viral video of a coyote and badger sauntering through a culvert together can help more people observe and consider what I and many in my scientific generation see: A thinking, complex, dynamic, individual nature that demands our respect and mindfulness as we move through this world.

Jennifer Campbell-Smith has a Ph.D. in behavioral ecology from Binghamton University. She currently resides in Denver, Colorado, where she is working to get high school students involved in urban wildlife research. You can find her on Twitter @drcampbellsmith.EmailHigh Country Newsat[emailprotected]or submit aletter to the editor.

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A viral coyote-badger video demonstrates the incredible complexity of nature - High Country News