In a fine demonstration of the value of research connecting proximate mechanisms with evolutionary hypotheses, melatonin-depleted blood from postmenopausal women has been shown to speed the growth of human breast cancer xenografts on nude mice (Blask et al. 2005).
The inconclusiveness of Hissette's study strongly suggests that research into the proximate background of the censured propositions has to be broadened.
In the context of creating databases containing more proximate reference genomes for biomedical research, it seems sensible to somehow categorise humans.
Acknowledging the impact of these contextual features on the expression of prosocial behaviours should stimulate new research into the proximate mechanisms that drive these effects, yield experimental designs that better control for potential influences on prosocial expression, and ultimately allow progress towards reconstructing the evolutionary origins of prosocial behaviour.
It is necessary at this stage that research on the proximate causes (mechanisms) of asymmetric division and ultimate causes (differential selective advantages in different conditions) follow a coherent path.
While there are empirical studies that explore the proximate incentives for group dispersal, theoretical research has primarily examined the consequences rather than the evolution of this phenomenon.
In aging research one can distinguish proximate (mechanistic) causes of aging (Rattan 2006; Rattan 2008; Holliday and Rattan 2010), and ultimate (evolutionary) causes of aging.
Evaluation of asthma outcomes and environmental exposures among school children and rural residents living proximate to AFOs remains an important research priority.
We review research on the ultimate and proximate origins of variation along the extraversion continuum.
In short, by asking how and why features of our biology have evolved, we arrive at a new set of research questions and a new proximate level research agenda.
