Evolutionary origin of religions The evolutionary origin of religions theorizes about the emergence of religious behavior during the course of human evolution. Nonhuman religious behaviour[edit] Humanity’s closest living relatives are common chimpanzees and bonobos. These primates share a common ancestor with humans who lived between four and six million years ago. It is for this reason that chimpanzees and bonobos are viewed as the best available surrogate for this common ancestor. Barbara King argues that while non-human primates are not religious, they do exhibit some traits that would have been necessary for the evolution of religion. Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, argues that many species grieve death and loss.[5] Setting the stage for human religion[edit] Increased brain size[edit] Robin Dunbar argues that the critical event in the evolution of the neocortex took place at the speciation of archaic homo sapiens about 500,000 years ago.
Writing Writing with a pen Writing is a medium of communication that represents language through the inscription of signs and symbols. In most languages, writing is a complement to speech or spoken language. Writing is not a language but a form of technology. As human societies emerged, the development of writing was driven by pragmatic exigencies such as exchanging information, maintaining financial accounts, codifying laws and recording history. Means for recording information[edit] H.G. Writing systems[edit] The major writing systems – methods of inscription – broadly fall into four categories: logographic, syllabic, alphabetic, and featural. Logographies[edit] A logogram is a written character which represents a word or morpheme. The main logographic system in use today is Chinese characters, used with some modification for various languages of China, and Japanese. Syllabaries[edit] A syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent (or approximate) syllables. Alphabets[edit] Abjads[edit]
Internet U.S. Army soldiers "surfing the Internet" at Forward Operating Base Yusifiyah, Iraq The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link several billion devices worldwide. The origins of the Internet date back to research commissioned by the United States government in the 1960s to build robust, fault-tolerant communication via computer networks.[2] This work, combined with efforts in the United Kingdom and France, led to the primary precursor network, the ARPANET, in the United States. Most traditional communications media, including telephony and television, are being reshaped or redefined by the Internet, giving birth to new services such as voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Internet Protocol television (IPTV). Terminology The Internet, referring to the specific global system of interconnected IP networks, is a proper noun and written with an initial capital letter. History T3 NSFNET Backbone, c. 1992.
Mail Postal wagons at the postal sorting facility in Sion, Switzerland. Mail between regional cities is transported by rail, to be delivered by postal bus, vans and cycles at a local level. Postal authorities often have functions other than transporting letters. In some countries, a Postal Telegraph and Telephone (PTT) service oversees the postal system as well as having authority over telephone and telegraph systems. Some countries' postal systems allow for savings accounts and handle applications for passports. Etymology[edit] The word mail comes from the Medieval English word male, referring to a traveling bag or pack.[2] It was spelled that way until the 17th century, and is distinct from the word male. History[edit] Many early post systems consisted of fixed courier routes. The practice of communication by written documents carried by an intermediary from one person or place to another almost certainly dates back nearly to the invention of writing. Persia[edit] India[edit] China[edit]
Music This article is about music as a form of art. For history see articles for History of music and Music history. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. To many people in many cultures, music is an important part of their way of life. Etymology The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses").[4] Music as form of art Jean-Gabriel Ferlan performing at a 2008 concert at the collège-lycée Saint-François Xavier Music is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment product for the marketplace. There are often many links between amateur and professional musicians. Composition "Composition" is often classed as the creation and recording of music via a medium by which others can interpret it (i.e., paper or sound). Music can be composed for repeated performance or it can be improvised: composed on the spot. Notation Play
Sport Sport (or sports) is all forms of usually competitive physical activity which,[1] through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while providing entertainment to participants, and in some cases, spectators.[2] Hundreds of sports exist, from those requiring only two participants, through to those with hundreds of simultaneous participants, either in teams or competing as individuals. Sport is generally recognised as activities which are based in physical athleticism or physical dexterity, with the largest major competitions such as the Olympic Games admitting only sports meeting this definition,[3] and other organisations such as the Council of Europe using definitions precluding activities without a physical element from classification as sports.[2] However, a number of competitive, but non-physical, activities claim recognition as mind sports. According to A.T. Meaning and usage Etymology Nomenclature Definition Competition History
Road Roads consist of one or two roadways (British English: carriageways), each with one or more lanes and any associated sidewalks (British English: pavement) and road verges. Roads that are available for use by the public may be referred to as public roads or as highways. Definitions[edit] The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines a road as "a line of communication (travelled way) using a stabilized base other than rails or air strips open to public traffic, primarily for the use of road motor vehicles running on their own wheels," which includes "bridges, tunnels, supporting structures, junctions, crossings, interchanges, and toll roads, but not cycle paths."[1] United States[edit] In the United States, laws distinguish between public roads, which are open to public use, and private roads, which are privately controlled.[5] United Kingdom[edit] In the United Kingdom there is some ambiguity between the terms highway and road. History[edit] Design[edit]
Money A sample picture of a fictional ATM card. The largest part of the world's money exists only as accounting numbers which are transferred between financial computers. Various plastic cards and other devices give individual consumers the power to electronically transfer such money to and from their bank accounts, without the use of currency. Money is any object or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a particular country or socio-economic context.[1][2][3] The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past, a standard of deferred payment.[4][5] Any kind of object or verifiable record that fulfills these functions can be considered money. The money supply of a country consists of currency (banknotes and coins) and usually includes bank money (the balance held in checking accounts and savings accounts). Etymology History Functions Types
Made In (Country of Origin) "Swiss Made" label on a TAG Heuer chronograph. Country of origin (COO), is the country of manufacture, production, or growth where an article or product comes from. There are differing rules of origin under various national laws and international treaties. Effects on consumers[edit] The effects of country of origin labeling on consumer purchasing have been extensively studied[1] The country of origin effect is also known as the "made-in image" and the "nationality bias Several studies have shown that consumers tend to have a relative preference to products from their own country[7] or may have a relative preference for or aversion against products that originate from certain countries (so-called affinity[8] and animosity[9] countries). Labelling requirements[edit] The requirements for Country of Origin markings are complicated by the various designations which may be required such as "Made in X", "Product of X", "Manufactured in X" etc. COO marketing[edit] Use of the phrase "Made in..."
Telephone A telephone, or phone, is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are not in the same vicinity of each other to be heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into electronic signals suitable for transmission via cables or other transmission media over long distances, and replays such signals simultaneously in audible form to its user. The word telephone has been adapted into the vocabulary of many languages. It is derived from the Greek: τῆλε, tēle, "far" and φωνή, phōnē, "voice", together meaning "distant voice". First patented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell and further developed by many others, the telephone was the first device in history that enabled people to talk directly with each other across large distances. Although originally designed for simple voice communications, most modern telephones have many additional capabilities. History Basic principles Details of operation