Dr. Nathan H. Lents is a Professor of Molecular Biology at John Jay College of The City University of New York and author of "Not So Different: Finding Human Nature in Animals," available in May 2016.
Humans need a more varied and specific diet than most other animals. The reason why is found in our deep past in Africa. … More The ABCs of Vitamin Deficiency: Why Human Have Such a Needy Diet
A new study of telomeres in Mesoamerican women reveals that poor access to healthcare leads to chronic stress. … More Healthcare Access and Stress: The Truth is in the Telomeres
My response to challenges to my claims about external testicles and maxillary sinuses. … More The Discovery Institute says they “shellacked” me on ‘Human Errors.’ Here I defend my claims.
Suddenly, Fermi blurted out, “Where is everybody?” … More Maybe We haven’t Met Aliens Because They’ve Messed Up Their Planets, too
If you live long enough, you get cancer. But without our mutating, blundering cells, we’d never have made it out of the primordial soup. … More The Inevitability of Cancer and Why It Makes Us Great
Last weekend, the Wall Street Journal published a teaser of my new book Human Errors (available May 1st!), which you can read here. As soon as the article dropped, I began to receive emails about the article, mostly positive, but I also knew from years of blogging about human evolution that not everyone would be … More A Creationist Response to “Human Errors” (and my rebuttal)
Rhesus monkeys have an intricate social structure. There is a dominance hierarchy, meaning that not all individuals enjoy the same rank in the group. This also effects the value that individuals gain from each of their relationships. Obviously, having powerful allies is of great value. And to maintain a powerful position requires allies. These are all … More The Value of Social Relationships During Aging in Female Rhesus Macaques
When, how, and why do children lie and what can parents do to help them be truthful? … More Children and Lying
Evolutionary Psychology predicted it; Data now confirms it; Legalizing marijuana doesn’t increase teen drug use. … More Why Legalizing Marijuana Leads to a DROP in Teen Drug Use (hint: evolution)
Researchers have developed a new method to discover the precise genetic differences between humans and our ape relatives. … More A New Method to Detect Natural Selection in Genes
