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There will be several distinct post threads on this site; for now, though, I will confine myself to two. One series comes from a book I am currently writing, tentatively titled, (When the Signal is the Noise). The subject is individuality, the biological processes that make you and me, and every other living thing, uniquely what we are. More specifically, this book is about the important role of random processes in this regard, from gene behavior to neural circuitry. Topics covered will include cancer and ageing. Traditionally, in considering cancer, for example, risk is attributed to two factors, genes and environment, or nature and nurture. This dichotomy has never been apt, for several reasons. One of those is that there is a third factor to consider, chance. Sometimes cancer is just bad luck.
The second series of posts, under the banner The Raw and the Rotten, concerns the neglected role of fermented foods in human evolution, biological, cultural, and biocultural. I have written three quarters of this book but hit a wall. I’m hoping these posts help me surmount it.
Eventually I will post on subjects related to three books I have written. The subject of the first, Why Men Won’t Ask for Directions, https://a.co/d/dpvr6Es , is about sexual development and sex differences, the topics of my doctoral and postdoctoral research. This book contains an early critique of Evolutionary Psychology, particularly as it relates to putative sex differences in human cognition. Evolutionary Psychologists were not pleased.
The subject of Epigenetics: How Environment Shapes Our Genes https://a.co/d/jcgfu8M is self-evident. This was the first popular account of this booming research area, At the time I was advised to leave the term “epigenetics” out of the title, because it seemed forbiddingly and arcanely technical; now it’s on everyone’s lips. I continue to keep abreast of all things epigenetic and will occasionally post about particularly interesting current research.
The subject of Domesticated: Evolution in a Man-Made World https://a.co/d/9tzWZZM is also apparent in the title. I continue to follow this field of research as well. The focus of that book was on domesticated mammals; I would like to expand the scope to include birds (chickens, ducks etc.), fish (Koi, carp etc.) and even insects, such as the silkworm. Domesticated plants too have increasingly drawn my interest, while writing The Raw and the Rotten.
I am also a photographer (https://www.rcfrancisphoto.com/8902329-meditations). I will post photos at indeterminate intervals. A few are already on the website in varied contexts.
I am a newbie to Substack. Please have patience as I learn the rules of the road. All content posted to date is free.
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