Christopher Lynn
Tuscaloosa
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Articles by Christopher Lynn
Losing Sleep, Becoming Human
No abstract is available for this article. Data Availability Statement Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no data sets were generated or analyzed during the current study. References 1, The Social Conquest of Earth (Liveright, 2012). 2 Sausage of Science, “David R. Samson on the Sleepless Ape,” Human Biology Association Podcast. Scite uses AI to classify citations by whether they support, contradict, or merely mention the referenced claims.
Simple input–output dependencies explain neuronal activity
Abstract Our understanding of neural computation is founded on the assumption that neurons fire in response to a linear summation of inputs. However, experiments demonstrate that some neurons are capable of complex functions that require interactions between inputs. Here we show that direct dependencies—without interactions between inputs—explain most of the variability in neuronal activity.
Congress Must Pass a Budget Bill-Without SALT Increases. Californians Need to Demand Fiscal Responsibility at Home
It’s time for Congress and the Senate to do their jobs and pass a responsible budget bill—without raising the SALT (State and Local Tax) deduction cap. Californians, in particular, need to wake up to a hard truth: we cannot expect the rest of the country to continually bail us out because our own state and local governments refuse to live within their means. Every year, Sacramento and city halls across California find new ways to squeeze more money out of taxpayers.
Exactly solvable statistical physics models for large neuronal populations
It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties.
Exact minimax entropy models of large-scale neuronal activity
In the brain, fine-scale correlations combine to produce macroscopic patterns of activity. However, as experiments record from larger and larger populations, we approach a fundamental bottleneck: the number of correlations one would like to include in a model grows larger than the available data.
Non-equilibrium whole-brain dynamics arise from pairwise interactions
Keywords brain non-equilibrium thermodynamics high-order interactions entropy production Introduction The human brain is a complex system of neural elements that interact at different orders, exhibiting non-equilibrium dynamics and breaking detailed balance at different spatial scales (from the neuronal1 to the whole-brain2 scale). However, it is not clear how the emergent dynamics arise from the interactions among its elements rather than just the independent dynamics of each element.
Introduction: The Influences of Religion and Spirituality on Human Biology
The objective of this special issue is to highlight the absence of religion and spirituality in the human biological enterprise. We have assembled a set of articles covering physiology, psychology, cognition, and neurophenomenology. The influences on human biology are diverse, yet many have been historically overlooked, which we hope this special issue takes a large step in remedying. Here, we outline how this issue came together and introduce readers to the articles to follow.
"(CON)TEXT" by Christopher Lynn and Gary Barton
Keywords communication, semiotics, harmonious phrase, signifier College Fine Arts and Communications Abstract Within the field of semiotics, methods of communication (languages) are separated into three distinct categories: signifier, signified, and sign. The signifier is a thing, like a ball. The signified is a definition or concept of the thing: a ball is a spherical object. When the signifier and signified are combined, the result is the sign.
Donald Trump’s Stance on Abortion: A State-Led Solution
In a recent appearance on the All In Podcast, former President Donald Trump reiterated his stance on abortion, emphasizing his belief that the issue should be decided at the state level rather than through a national mandate. This position reflects Trump’s pragmatic approach to one of the most divisive issues in American politics. Empowering States to Decide Trump articulated a clear vision where individual states hold the authority to regulate abortion laws.
Pink Wave Crashes Across Mexico
On May 19th, 2024, freedom-loving Mexicans from all walks of life united to protest against the current authoritarian and socialist government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) and the Morena party. Often referred to as the “Narco President” and “Narco Party” due to alleged close ties with organized crime, the government’s reputation took a further hit when President AMLO publicly greeted El Chapo’s mother, sparking widespread outrage.
Why religion and spirituality are important in human biological research
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT The authors declare no conflict of interest. REFERENCES Advocate Health Care. (2023). Religious beliefs & health care decisions. https://www.advocatehealth.com/about-us/faith-at-advocate/office-for-mission-spiritual-care/spiritual-care/religious-beliefs-health-care-decisions , , , , & (2016). Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in burka-clad pregnant women in a 450-bedded maternity hospital of Delhi. The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India, 66, 67–71.
The value of publicly engaged podcasting in human biology
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT The authors declare no financial conflicts of interest. Supporting Information Filename Description ajhb24105-sup-0001-Supinfo.xlsxExcel 2007 spreadsheet , 21.8 KB Data S1. 2024_SoS metrics for SPSS. REFERENCES , , , , , , & (2022). Integrative approaches to dispersing science: A case study of March Mammal Madness. American Journal of Human Biology, 34(S1), e23659. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23659 (2016).
LSD flattens the hierarchy of directed information flow in fast whole-brain dynamics
Abstract Psychedelics are serotonergic drugs that profoundly alter consciousness, yet their neural mechanisms are not fully understood. A popular theory, RElaxed Beliefs Under pSychedelics (REBUS), posits that psychedelics flatten the hierarchy of information flow in the brain. Here, we investigate hierarchy based on the imbalance between sending and receiving brain signals, as determined by directed functional connectivity.
Human learning of hierarchical graphs
Abstract Humans are exposed to sequences of events in the environment, and the interevent transition probabilities in these sequences can be modeled as a graph or network. Many real-world networks are organized hierarchically and while much is known about how humans learn basic transition graph topology, whether and to what degree humans can learn hierarchical structures in such graphs remains unknown.
Information content of note transitions in the music of J. S. Bach
Music has a complex structure that expresses emotion and conveys information. Humans process that information through imperfect cognitive instruments that produce a gestalt, smeared version of reality. How can we quantify the information contained in a piece of music? Further, what is the information inferred by a human, and how does that relate to (and differ from) the true structure of a piece?
Heavy-tailed neuronal connectivity arises from Hebbian self-organization - Nature Physics
Abstract The connections in networks of neurons are heavy-tailed, with a small number of neurons connected much more strongly than the vast majority of pairs. However, it remains unclear whether this heavy-tailed connectivity emerges from simple underlying mechanisms. Here we propose a minimal model of synaptic self-organization: connections are pruned at random, and the synaptic strength rearranges under a mixture of preferential and random dynamics.
Violations of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem reveal distinct nonequilibrium dynamics of brain states
Abstract The brain is a nonequilibrium system whose dynamics change in different brain states, such as wakefulness and deep sleep. Thermodynamics provides the tools for revealing these nonequilibrium dynamics. We used violations of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem to describe the hierarchy of nonequilibrium dynamics associated with different brain states.
Nunatsiaq a ‘favourite’ among Ottawa jail readers
Editor’s note: This letter was submitted in October when the writer was in Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre. He has been released from the detention centre since the letter was written. To editors of Nunatsiaq News, First; I would like to offer a hearty congratulations on 50 years in the rapidly changing world of the fifth estate. It’s a tough business that few last years in operation, half a century of delivering the news of a province … region … community of people.
The Medical Anthropology of Tattooing, Past and Present
This chapter reviews the medical anthropology of tattooing from prehistoric to modern applications. The tattooing found on the 5,300-year-old Tyrolean frozen mummy called the “Iceman” is among the earliest evidence there is that tattooing was used to treat illness—notably, it may have alleviated the pain the Iceman likely suffered from arthrosis, biliary calculi, Lyme disease, or the prolonged use of the bow.
Decomposing the Local Arrow of Time in Interacting Systems
Abstract We show that the evidence for a local arrow of time, which is equivalent to the entropy production in thermodynamic systems, can be decomposed. In a system with many degrees of freedom, there is a term that arises from the irreversible dynamics of the individual variables, and then a series of non-negative terms contributed by correlations among pairs, triplets, and higher-order combinations of variables.
Transcendental Medication
Transcendental Medication considers why human brains evolved to have consciousness, yet we spend much of our time trying to reduce our awareness. It outlines how limiting consciousness—rather than expanding it—is more functional and satisfying for most people, most of the time. The suggestion is that our brains evolved mechanisms to deal with the stress of awareness in concert with awareness itself—otherwise it is too costly to handle.
Neurophysiological Evidence for Cognitive Map Formation during Sequence Learning
Research ArticleResearch Article: New Research, Cognition and Behavior Jennifer Stiso, Christopher W. Lynn, Ari E. Kahn, Vinitha Rangarajan, Karol P. Szymula, Ryan Archer, Andrew Revell, Joel M. Stein, Brian Litt, Kathryn A. Davis, Timothy H. Lucas and Dani S. Bassett eNeuro 1 February 2022, 9 (2) ENEURO.0361-21.2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0361-21.2022 Abstract Humans deftly parse statistics from sequences.
Author Correction: Human information processing in complex networks
Correction to: Nature Physics https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-020-0924-7, published online 15 June 2020. In the version of this Article originally published online, in the section ‘Efficient communication is driven by hierarchically modular structure’ the equation for entropy in the second sentence was incorrectly given as \(S = \mathop {\sum }\nolimits_i k_i\log k_i\) and should have been \(S = \frac{1}{{2E}}\mathop {\sum }\nolimits_i k_i\log k_i\). All versions of the Article have been amended.
Human information processing in complex networks
Abstract Humans communicate using systems of interconnected stimuli or concepts—from language and music to literature and science—yet it remains unclear how, if at all, the structure of these networks supports the communication of information. Although information theory provides tools to quantify the information produced by a system, traditional metrics do not account for the inefficient ways that humans process this information.
Abstract representations of events arise from mental errors in learning and memory
Abstract Humans are adept at uncovering abstract associations in the world around them, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Intuitively, learning the higher-order structure of statistical relationships should involve complex mental processes. Here we propose an alternative perspective: that higher-order associations instead arise from natural errors in learning and memory.
Does Tattooing Boost Health?
✽ I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain. I’d been in Samoa for a month, studying Samoan tattooing culture and the impact of the big traditional pieces called pe’a and malu—tatau in general—on the immune system.
The evolutionary adaptation of body art: Tattooing as costly honest signaling of enhanced immune response in American Samoa
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE Christopher D. Lynn Corresponding Author E-mail address: cdlynn@ua.edu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7031-5281 Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Correspondence Christopher D. Lynn, Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama, Box 870210, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487.
Untangling Tattoos' Influence On Immune Response
Written by Christopher D. Lynn A schoolteacher in the midst of receiving a full pe'a, the traditional Samoan tattoo generally worn by males. Christopher Lynn, CC BY-ND I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 7:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 6:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 5:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 5:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 7:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 6:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 7:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 7:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 7:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 5:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 7:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 7:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 6:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 5:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 6:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 6:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 6:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 7:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 6:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 6:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
Untangling tattoos' influence on immune response
Christopher D. Lynn | Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama | Via The Conversation Tuesday Oct 15, 2019 at 6:00 AM I lay on the mat of the open-air bungalow in Apia, Samoa, looking up at a gecko. As its tail quivered, I felt a sympathetic twitch in my leg. Su’a Sulu’ape Paulo III, the sixth-generation Samoan hand-tap tattoo master leaning over me, paused to see if my movement was due to pain.
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