Posts by Agustín Fuentes

When we start defining “normal,” we head down a dangerous path. The myth of normal tells us that that being within the range of what is considered “normal” is a core feature of successfully being a member of society—and that is simply not true. The myth of normal is very strong and very wrong.  Being…

Be part of a community and empower your whole life not just your “love life” Matchmaking is a multibillion dollar industry with more than half of its revenues coming from a few main web-based services. The following is typical of their claims: We at Chemistry.com know that only you know who is right for you. So we…

We need to move away from the myth that DNA alone tells us who, and how, we are A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a company called GBHealthwatch with the subject header “Eat Right for Your Genes”…Funny, I didn’t even know my genes were hungry.  No, really–genes can’t be hungry, nor…

Aggression between women today doesn’t mean females evolved to be “bitchy” Aggression in girls in our society is a growing problem and many young women are paying a price for it. And now, studying these “mean girls” has taken a new turn: a group of psychologists can now explain why females are “bitchy” to one another: it’s in their genes. I…

To err is human—lucky for us It took the swimmer Diana Nyad five tries to swim from Cuba to Florida. Alfred Nobel blew up his laboratory (and his brother) in his eventually successful quest to develop dynamite (and went on to fund the Nobel Prize). On a recent National Geographic google+ hangout, a group of scientists…

Do genetics and economics tell us why some people abuse their kids? Why do so many researchers keep trying to make human psychology simple and gene-based? A recent headline proclaims: “Researchers say a specific gene might make parents more likely to abuse their children during tough times.” The argument is that during bad economic times, or more specifically…

A focus on the phallus is pervasive in our society. The penis is not what defines a biological or a social male. Despite there not being any biological or evolutionarily robust reasoning, our society often associates the penis with social power, and worth. This is the phallus fallacy. Like many, I caught the summer blockbuster movie…

We need to talk openly and intelligently about race. I am occasionally racist— and so is most everyone in the USA. Even if we don’t think we are. Race is all around us, often in ways we often don’t realize. We can be less racist, and even move away from racism, but it takes a bit of…

A focus on genitals does not tell us much about being human We know sex is complicated in primates and that human sexuality is the most complex sexuality of any animal on the planet. But for some reason we keep asking very simple evolutionary questions about sex and thinking we get good answers…turns out, they are usually wrong.…

Our relationships with other animals have helped to shape our mind and body I love my dog. I love to see monkeys leaping through the rainforest, dolphins swimming in the sea, and house sparrows feeding on a park bench, I am fascinated by urban coyotes and cheer the return of the mountain lion across the…