User:Highway2
Researcher
My papers have been referenced in books and other research papers such as: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
https://www.ynharari.com/sapiens-references/
In Ingenious: The Unintended Consequences of Human Innovation by Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12288685 https://books.google.co.kr/books?id=CfyzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA304&dq=%22hominin+interbreeding+and+the+evolution+of+human+variation%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjrgraHjuznAhWpGaYKHUklDuYQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q=%22hominin%20interbreeding%20and%20the%20evolution%20of%20human%20variation%22&f=false
Sons of Cain: A History of Serial Killers from the Stone Age to the Present by Peter Vronsky
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/reviews/2018/08/17/in-sons-of-cain-toronto-author-peter-vronsky-explains-our-serial-killer-fascination-and-his-too.html https://books.google.co.kr/books?id=MF4_DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT263&dq=%22hominin+interbreeding+and+the+evolution+of+human+variation%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjrgraHjuznAhWpGaYKHUklDuYQ6AEIQjAD#v=onepage&q=%22hominin%20interbreeding%20and%20the%20evolution%20of%20human%20variation%22&f=false
The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions by Jeffrey David Sachs
Many others such as Pedro Paulo Funari, Enrico Coen, Joseph Jordania, and Architecture Magazine
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-019-0214-2 https://www.revistas.usp.br/revmae/article/view/164177 https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/finding-shelter-in-the-paleolithic_o
Journal Publications
Kwang Hyun Ko: Hominin interbreeding and the evolution of human variation. Journal of Biological Research 07/2016; 23(1). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27429943/ http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40709-016-0054-7 Abstract: Mitochondrial Eve confirms the “out of Africa” theory, but the evidence also supports interbreeding between Homo sapiens and other hominins: Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo heidelbergensis. This article explains how interbreeding between early H. sapiens and archaic hominins occurred. The availability of edible insects in East Asia aided the spread of the unaggressive, highly interdependent Neanderthals, who interbred with H. sapiens in Asia, resulting in a higher admixture of Neanderthal DNA in East Asian populations. Geographical variation in degree of interbreeding between H. sapiens and Neanderthals likely contributed to neurological and behavioral differences in modern humans. Similarly, people with Denisovan genetic admixture were better able to dwell in mountainous regions, allowing their genetic legacy to cross the Himalayas and persist in Southeast Asian and Oceanian H. sapiens. In the Sub-Saharan region, unaffected by Denisovan or Neanderthal interbreeding, H. sapiens interbred with H. heidelbergensis, because high humidity militated against fire-making and allowed the survival of these hominins were less dependent on fire-making.
Kwang Hyun Ko: Origins of human intelligence: The chain of tool-making and brain evolution. Anthropological Notebooks 04/2016; 22(1). http://www.drustvo-antropologov.si/AN/2016_1_eng.html Abstract: Although the definition of intelligence is debatable, it can be allocated to only one anatomical location: the brain. Arguments regarding general measures of animal intelligence and discussions of its evolution up to the Neanderthals arise only because hominids have evolved to have larger brains; i.e., they have become more “intelligent”. Hominids clearly evolved in the past, but whether evolution is still ongoing is debated. Ironically, because hominids have created technologies and innovations to aid their survival, their evolution has included adaptation to the environment generated by their inventions. Similar to the recent evolution of ADHD traits or gluten tolerance, the hominid brain has undergone major changes over the past seven million years due to man-made habitats and technologies. Tool-making creates an environment conducive to increased social interactions, as it facilitates increased provisioning and protection, while increased opportunities for interactions and observations lead to advances in toolmaking. These changes have been offset by the concurrent evolution of language and tool-making. Biologically, hominid brains have increased in size in areas where toolmaking and language-processing coincide. This increase in brain size allowed advanced provisioning and tools, including the use of fire, and the technological advances during the Palaeolithic that stood on the shoulders of the previous evolutionary innovations of bipedalism and versatile hands enhanced the momentum of brain evolution. The beginnings of the reciprocal cause and effect between brain evolution and tool-making cannot be identified. The applicability of the hunting and fire hypotheses to the evolution of human intelligence is further discussed. The abstract of this article has been translated into Slovenian. This is located at the end of the manuscript. (pg.22) Povzetek Čeprav je opredelitev inteligentnosti sporno, jo lahko omejimo le na eno anatomsko lokacijo: možgane. Argumenti, ki se nanašajo na splošne mere živalske inteligentnosti in razprave glede njenega razvoja do neandertalcev so nastale samo zato, ker so se pri človečnjakih razvili večji možgani, se pravi, da so postali bolj “inteligentni”. Človečnjaki so se seveda razvil v preteklosti, ampak še vedno poteka razprava o tem, ali se razvijajo še naprej. Ironično je, da zato, ker so človečnjaki ustvarili tehnologije in inovacije, ki jim lajšajo preživetje, njihova evolucija sedaj vsebuje tudi prilagoditve okolju, ki so ga ustvarili ti izumi. Podobno kot pri nedavnem razvoju ADHD in glutenske intolerance, so se možgani človečnjakov v zadnjih sedmih milijonih letih najbolj sprrmenili zaradi antropogenih okolij in tehnologij. Izdelovanje orodja ustvarja okolje, ki spodbuja socialne interakcije, saj povečuje dostopnost stvari in zaščito, večje možnosti za interakcijo in opazovanja pa vodijo do napredka na področju izdelave orodja. Te spremembe je sprožil sočasni razvoja jezika in izdelovanja orodja. Biološko so se možgani človečnjakov povečali na področjih, kjer sovpadata izdelovanje orodja in jezik. To povečanje možganov je omogočilo napreden dostop do stvari in orodij, vključno z uporabo ognja in tehnološkim napredkom v času paleolitika, ki je temeljilo na prejšnjih evolucijskih novostih bipedalizma ter vsestranske rabe rok in je pospešilo dinamiko razvoja možganov. Začetkov vzajemnih vzrokov in posledic med razvojem možganov in izdelavo orodja ni mogoče določiti, zaradi česar nadaljujemo diskusijo o hipotezi ognja in lovstva kot dejavnikov evolucije človeške inteligentnosti.
Kwang Hyun Ko: Origins of Bipedalism. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 11/2015; http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_issuetoc&pid=1516-891320150006&lng=en&nrm=iso http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-89132015060399 Abstract: This article aimed to review various theories of bipedalism and provide a holistic answer to human evolution. There have been two questions regarding bipedalism: i) why were the earliest hominins partially bipedal?, and ii) why did hominins become increasingly bipedal over the time and replaced their less bipedal ancestors? To answer these questions, the prominent theories in the field, such as the savanna-based theory, the postural feeding hypotheses, and the provisioning model, are collectively examined. Because biological evolution is not a simple causation; there may be multiple answers to the evolution of bipedalism. The postural feeding hypothesis (reaching for food/balancing) provides an explanation for the partial bipedalism of the earliest hominins. The savannah-based theory describes how the largely bipedal hominins that started to settle on the ground became increasingly bipedal. The provisioning model (food-gathering/monogamy) explains questions arising after the postural feeding hypothesis and before the savannah theory in an evolutionary timeline. Indeed, there are no straight lines between the theories, and multiple forces could have pushed the evolution of bipedalism at different points. Finally, the arboreal hominins that possessed ambiguous traits of bipedalism were eliminated through the choice and selection. Using the biological analogy of the okapi and giraffe, efforts were put to explain how one of the branches (Homo) became increasingly bipedal, while the other (Pan) adapted to locomotion for forest life by narrowing the anatomical/biological focus in evolution. Kwang Hyun Ko: The Influence of Rice Agriculture on East Asian Culture and Language. European Journal of East Asian Studies 01/2016; 15(1). http://www.brill.com/european-journal-east-asian-studies DOI:10.1163/15700615-01501001 Abstract: Studies have long confirmed the existence of psychological differences between people in the East and those in the West. They have found that East Asians are more interdependent and think in terms of the group; Westerners adopt more individualistic, analytical thinking. Recent studies of rice farming have shown that large-scale agriculture is largely responsible for the collectivist mindset of East Asians. Rice farming alone, however, was not sufficient to mould cooperative, holistic thinking. Rice farming influenced festivals, customs, proverbs and the overall structure of language, all of which would have led Asians to develop an interdependent cultural psychology. This article presents an analytical study that scrutinises Eastern customs and languages, comparing them to those of Western cultures. Generally, the following comparative analysis pertains mostly to widely spoken languages from populated and prospering sectors, such as the Chinese, Korean and Japanese in East Asia, and the English, Spanish and French in Western regions. It is argued that rice farming is correlated not only with festivals, but also with proverbs, particular ways of answering questions, weather-related expressions and overall language structures, including pronouns and articles. This study further posits that a culture of respecting elders may be attributable to rice agriculture.
Kwang Hyun Ko: A Brief History of Imperial Examination and Its Influences. Society https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12115-017-0134-9 Abstract: Learners of East-Asian descent frequently outperform students from other developed nations on standardized tests. They are often well prepared, and generally demonstrate high proficiency in math, science, and language. Despite recent hype among Western policymakers and educators regarding the performance of East-Asian students on standardized exams, this phenomenon is primarily attributable to the unique history of imperial examinations, which began in China. The imperial examinations were firmly established in most East-Asian nations (excluding Japan owing to its geographic isolation), and were the product of cultures that valued routine work and strong central governments. Although some Western politicians and education administrators advocate adopting a form of education wherein standardized test scores are a focal point, such views potentially ignore centuries-old criticisms in East-Asian nations concerning national examinations. The imperial examination system was a seemingly efficient and convenient approach to selecting government elites that produced diligent students and punctual educators; nonetheless, it also had significant drawbacks with respect to innovation and societal progress. Thus, the author examines this educational approach from a historical perspective, and compares it to the methods adopted by Europe and Japan. Kwang Hyun Ko: Brain Reorganization Allowed for the Development of Human Language: Lunate Sulcus http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijb/article/view/47943 Abstract: This article presents the hypothesis of a connection between eidetic memory and the lunate sulcus, a feature that was repositioned during evolution. Humans have evolved from ape-like ancestors for 7 million years. Along with a prominent increase in brain size, the reorganization of the brain marked by the sulcus generated the evolutionary momentum toward the development of human language. This article reviews the reorganization of the human brain using an interdisciplinary approach of examining animal behavior and anthropological and biological studies. This brain reorganization must have occurred during early maturity and is thought to be responsible for eidetic imagery in some adolescents and superior short-term memory in chimpanzees. During early development, the neural connections in prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal lobe rapidly expand, while visual memory capacity of human brain would become limited. Biological studies have demonstrated that the lunate sulcus is subject to white matter growth, and dental fossil and tomography studies have shown that the brain organization of Africanus is pongid-like. Kwang Hyun Ko: Origin of Human Language in an Evolutionary Context: Evolution-Progression Model http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?paperID=54520 Abstract: This article approaches what is considered to be a linguistic enigma with an interdisciplinary scientific approach. In this manuscript, the author analyzes the infant developmental stage, human anatomy, animal behavior studies, and anthropological changes. Furthermore, prominent theories in the field, such as the provisioning model, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) theory, and the metabolic hypothesis for human altriciality are considered in an evolutionary context to unravel the origin of language. First, two evolutionary adaptations in humans, bipedalism and delicate muscle movements, resulted in the lack of a need for “hyperfocus”. Second, a relatively safe and rich environment replaced “hyperfocus” with social cohesion. Third, a burgeoning social interaction ushered in natural selection, whereby child helplessness or early parturition supported exceptional self-consciousness (intelligence). The result of concentrated self-consciousness, which involved enlargement of the posterior parietal cortex (sense of self), prefrontal cortex (social cognition), and temporal lobe (language interpretation), was human language. Language was not a sudden revelation; instead, it was a gradual process and a built-in part of the evolutionary sequence. Last, this article implies how language might have begun in accordance with the prior multidisciplinary analysis.
“Dear Kwanghyun Ko,
Thank you for your follow-up message. I find your hypothesis fascinating, and I think it warrants a book-length treatment to get the concepts into the human evolutionary discourse. Although I didn’t think Biological Theory was the appropriate venue for publication of this work for the reasons I stated, this was not meant to imply that I dismiss the plausibility of your scenario. I will certainly describe it, with attribution, to colleagues interested in this field. I very much like the multilevel, multicausal nature of your approach and think you may well be proved right, ultimately. There are certainly relevant examples in the history of science of solutions to major problems coming from unexpected directions, as you note.”
Stuart A. Newman, Ph.D. Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy Basic Science Building
