Argues that London newspaper satirists are important in the history of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection: (1) they were among the interpreters of a paradigm shift in biology from the older idealist thinking to the newer empiricist thinking and (2) they simplified the idealist-empiricist issue by making it more accessible to the general…

The struggle for academic freedom in nineteenth century Ontario was closely bound to the acceptance of evolutionary theory. A history is given of the impact of Darwin's theories on the evolution of academic freedom in Canadian universities. (CJB)

Presented is a discussion of recent evidence on the evolution of human forms on earth gathered and evaluated using mitochondrial DNA techniques. Theories regarding the possibility that a common female ancestor existed in Africa about 200,000 years ago are discussed. A list of teaching aids is provided. (CW)

Offers a commentary on five contributions to recent developments in the study of cognitive development that have been selected for this special issue. The relevance of each author's paper to issues that are central to cognitivists today and post-Piagetian developmental psychologists is discussed, and the overall need of evolutionary models to…

This paper focuses upon the developmental role of rough and tumble (R&T) play with particular attention to the narratives that children use to underpin such activities. A review of the literature suggests that current early years research and practice pays scant attention to children's outdoor free play activities. A piece of original research is…

Reactions to the "woman the gatherer" theory, introduced in the 1970's as an alternative to the "man the hunter" thesis in anthropology, have been to accept, ignore it, or combine it with the hunting theory. The "man the hunter" model stresses that primitive males hunted for meat and provided food and protection for their mates and children who…

The article explores the debate of teaching creation in the public schools, what each group claims, the issues they overlook or neglect, why, and how educators can deal with the resulting confrontation and debate. Using evidence from the literature of each approach, the article suggests flaws in the logic of all three. (NQA)

This article reviews some recent technical progress in the social sciences and three frontier areas including evolutionary theory as related to sociobiology, the theory of human rational choice, and cognitive science. These areas offer explanations for broad areas of human behavior. (Author/SA)

Sociobiology suggests that our basic pyschological makeup is genetically determined and has evolved by means of natural selection. Biologically based human predispositions often conflict with legal and moral requirements of modern life. Sociobiology provides support for the direct teaching of moral values and social skills. (Author)

Critically reviews creationist ideas on the geology of the Grand Canyon, especially those found in "Grand Canyon: Monument to Catastrophe." Contains 27 references. (WRM)

An anonymous 12-item, multiple-choice questionnaire was administered to 218 southern college, introductory zoology students prior to and following a study of evolutionary theory to assess their understanding and acceptance of the credibility of the evidence supporting the theory. Key topics addressed were the history of evolutionary thought, basic…

Reviews early theoretical and research literature on handedness and places it within the larger context of the nature-nurture controversy. Discussion focuses on Baldwin's study of the development of hand preference in infants in relation to the recapitulation theory, mental development ("dynamogenesis"), and speech development.…

Reviews current research on a woman's chances of bearing twins and the genetic relationship, prenatal competition, and personality similarities between twins. In addition, the nature/nurture controversy is discussed in terms of evidence from studies of identical twins reared apart. Future studies are suggested to discover the ways twinning might…

Briefly surveys recent trends and developments in sedimentology. Includes Clastic sedimentary petrology, petrology of argillaceous rocks, terrigenous depositional environments, and chemical sedimentology. (MA)

Describes the current movement to elevate biblical creationism to a scientific theory to be taught alongside evolution in the public schools. Focuses on the strategies and influence of pro "scientific creationism" groups and reviews pending legislation that would mandate equal teaching time for creationism. (GC)