Tongue-in-cheek Science

Here are a few tongue-in-cheek observations on pop culture science. The first is a timeline of stellar and human evolution as proposed in the Big Bang Theory opening theme song (sung by the masters of tongue-in-cheek, The Barenaked Ladies).

Not sure if there are creationist undertones to this song or not -- I'm sure these tendencies are a result of artistic license rather than other intent.

Timeline of our origins, as sung by The Barenaked Ladies.

Secondly, it seems that everyone is publishing a book these days. For example, I have a new book in the works.....

...or not. The important thing to remember is that it could be a book. And yes, due to the fast-moving nature of the biomechanics of fictional creatures (e.g. AT-AT) field, it's going straight to the 3rd edition.

Slides on Emergent Social Complexity

Here is a slideshow on an emerging theoretical perspective I am calling emergent social complexity. "The emergence of animal social complexity: theoretical underpinnings and biobehavioral evidence" was first given at Michigan State University in 2005 (to a private group), and elements of this were used my own presentations since that time. The thesis of the talk is that major trends in sociality (from genes to social groups) across a wide range of animals can be identified. Includes a bibliography to the references given throughout.