Below is an invitation to contribute to a study on strengths and limitations of human-based research in terms of broader applicability that should take only a few minutes. Please contribute if you can.
Dear Participants,
Many fundamental concepts in evolutionary biology and behavioral ecology were discovered using non-human systems. Some or many of these concept are also applicable to humans. Here, we have become interested in whether this process can also go the other way around: to which degree can data from humans be relevant to understanding biological fundamentals in these fields? This question has become the core theme of a Proceedings B special issue later this year edited by Erik Postma and Sarah Brosnan.
One unknown in this theme is the overall opinion of researchers in biology related fields. For example, to what degree do researchers believe that human studies can be relevant to discover evolutionary fundamentals? Do researchers believe that humans are subject to natural and/or sexual selection? To quantify the opinion of researchers in biology related fields on these and other issues, we have developed a survey. We particularly hope to identify common perceived strengths and limitations of human-based research in terms of broader applicability.
Many fundamental concepts in evolutionary biology and behavioral ecology were discovered using non-human systems. Some or many of these concept are also applicable to humans. Here, we have become interested in whether this process can also go the other way around: to which degree can data from humans be relevant to understanding biological fundamentals in these fields? This question has become the core theme of a Proceedings B special issue later this year edited by Erik Postma and Sarah Brosnan.
One unknown in this theme is the overall opinion of researchers in biology related fields. For example, to what degree do researchers believe that human studies can be relevant to discover evolutionary fundamentals? Do researchers believe that humans are subject to natural and/or sexual selection? To quantify the opinion of researchers in biology related fields on these and other issues, we have developed a survey. We particularly hope to identify common perceived strengths and limitations of human-based research in terms of broader applicability.
The survey can be found at: https://goo.gl/forms/uV2Sk
The survey is short and simple and should only take a couple of minutes to complete. The collected data will be published in the Proceedings B special issue. Data remain completely confidential.
We hope we can motivate you to participate to the survey. Your opinion and the reasons why are important. We believe this issue is relevant not only to researchers, but also to research councils, funding agencies and, more generally, the public opinion.
Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation,
Michael Briga and the Lummaa team,
University of Turku, Finland
We hope we can motivate you to participate to the survey. Your opinion and the reasons why are important. We believe this issue is relevant not only to researchers, but also to research councils, funding agencies and, more generally, the public opinion.
Thank you very much in advance for your cooperation,
Michael Briga and the Lummaa team,
University of Turku, Finland
Image: Through the lens: three-generations of reproduction in historical Finns. What can we learn from studying human populations? Do grandmothers improve grand offspring survival? Does family size affect reproductive success and trait inheritance? Are contemporary humans evolving?
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