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MSc Energy and Society: Bursaries Available

(20 May 2013) » More about MSc Energy and Society: Bursaries Available

Durham Anthropologist Received ESRC Award for Outstanding Impact in Society

(18 May 2013) » More about Durham Anthropologist Received ESRC Award for Outstanding Impact in Society

Durham Anthropology Research on Brain Evolution

(15 May 2013) » More about Durham Anthropology Research on Brain Evolution

Durham Anthropologist's Paper Attracts Significant Media Interest

A recent paper by Dr. Ian Rickard has generated a significant amount of media interest. The paper, entitled “The demographic transition influence in variance in fitness and selection in height and BMI in rural Gambia” was published in the prestigious journal Current Biology. The study demonstrates how rapidly changing human culture can alter the evolutionary forces affecting human body size. It found that as mortality and fertility rates declined, natural selection progressively favours taller individuals with lower body mass.

The paper received write-ups in three daily newspapers:

The Daily Mail: Taller, skinnier women have evolved to have more babies than their shorter counterparts

The Times: Long and short of it is that tall, slim women have more babies

Guardian: Gwyneth Paltrow and the media exploitation of evolutionary science

These reports illustrate an interesting relationship between scientific research and the public’s consumption of science via media interpretations. Says Dr. Rickard: “ As The Guardian piece points out, it was interesting that editors chose to attract attention to the story by using revealing pictures of tall female celebrities. This unfortunately detracts attention from our far more exciting main message (which some article authors understood), that human cultural changes don't exempt us from the effects of evolution - they influence how evolution affects us. We don't override the forces of nature; we change those forces!"

(3 May 2013)

Durham Anthropology Undergraduate Wins National Award

Tessa receiving her award from Sir Trevor McDonald (who hosted the awards).

On Friday 19^th April, at East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf, one of our undergraduates, Tessa Fowler won an award for Commercial Excellence in the prestigious TARGET jobs Awards for Undergraduates in the UK.

Tessa won the award after a series of on-line tests, applications and assessment exercises.

(3 May 2013)