Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2025
10:33
Isolation of Culturable Yeasts and Molds from Soils to Investigate Fungal Population Structure
Published on: May 27, 2022
5.6K
Why did doctrinal religions first appear in the Northern Subtropical Zone?
1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK.
Evolutionary Human Sciences
|August 17, 2023
Summary
Neolithic religions emerged in the northern Subtropical Zone due to increased community sizes and ecological factors. This zone
Area of Science:
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Sociology
Background:
- Doctrinal religions with gods, theologies, moral codes, and priesthoods emerged during the Neolithic period.
- These religious developments were concentrated in a specific latitudinal band: the northern Subtropical Zone.
- Hunter-gatherer societies typically had smaller community sizes compared to Neolithic societies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the emergence of doctrinal religions during the Neolithic.
- To explore the geographical and environmental factors influencing the development of large-scale religions.
- To understand the role of religion in community bonding and cohesion in response to societal changes.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the geographical distribution of early doctrinal religions.
- Examination of Neolithic environmental conditions, including rainfall patterns and pathogen load.
- Correlation of latitude with the development of religion and language in contemporary societies.
Main Results:
- Doctrinal religions emerged in two phases during the Neolithic, primarily in the northern Subtropical Zone.
- Optimal conditions for rapid population growth (ecological release) existed in this zone.
- The northern Subtropical Zone's characteristics favored the evolution of large-scale religions for community cohesion.
Conclusions:
- The emergence of Neolithic religions was driven by the need for community bonding amidst increasing population sizes (scalar stress).
- Specific environmental conditions in the northern Subtropical Zone facilitated rapid population growth and the development of complex religions.
- Latitude and environmental factors played a crucial role in the evolution of religion as a mechanism for social cohesion.
More Related Videos
06:42Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
11.7K
11:12Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting
Published on: November 4, 2021
3.5K
Related Concept Videos
01:27Diversity of Protists IV
37
Amoebozoa represent a diverse group of terrestrial and aquatic protists that utilize lobe-shaped pseudopodia for locomotion and feeding. This characteristic differentiates them from the Rhizaria, which possess threadlike pseudopodia. The primary classifications within Amoebozoa include gymnamoebas, entamoebas, and the plasmodial and cellular slime molds. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that Amoebozoa diverged from a lineage that ultimately gave rise to fungi and animals.Gymnamoebas and...
37
01:27Diversity of Protists II
44
Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...
44
01:27Diversity of Protists III
48
Rhizaria are a diverse group of unicellular protists characterized by their threadlike cytoplasmic extensions known as pseudopodia. These structures aid in both locomotion and feeding, giving Rhizaria an amoeboid appearance. Their amoeboid morphology once led to taxonomic confusion, but molecular phylogenetics has clarified their evolutionary placement and emphasized their shared use of pseudopodia despite divergent lineages.This clade comprises diverse lineages such as Chlorarachniophyta,...
48
01:17Region of Convergence
482
The z-transform is a powerful mathematical tool used in the analysis of discrete-time signals and systems. It is a crucial tool in the analysis of discrete-time systems, but its convergence is limited to specific values of the complex variable z. This range of values, known as the Region of Convergence (ROC), is fundamental in determining the behavior and stability of a system or signal. The ROC defines the region in the complex plane where the z-transform converges, which can take various...
482
01:15Diversity of Protists I
35
Excavata is a diverse group of protists that includes both chemoorganotrophic and phototrophic species, with some thriving in anaerobic environments. Among the key groups within Excavata are diplomonads and parabasalids, which are flagellated protists that lack mitochondria and chloroplasts. These microorganisms typically inhabit anoxic environments, such as the intestines of animals, where they exist either symbiotically or as parasites, relying on fermentation for energy production. Some...
35
02:16Genetics of Speciation
19.3K
Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.
19.3K