Latest news with #Beekman
Los Angeles Times
28-06-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
New research says humans learned to speak partly because babies are too hard to take care of alone
Earlier this week, while we were all busy with the (now paused) war in Iran and the (very much ongoing) court battle over soldiers in L.A. streets, my baby started saying my name. It's a moment every mother waits for — particularly those among us who are aggrieved that our offspring decide to learn 'baba' or 'dada' or 'papa' first. My own infant has been saying 'abba' for almost two months. But this week, for the first time, he started saying 'ima' — not EEE-ma as my older children howl it, but i-mAH, i-mAH, i-mAH, like a tiny body builder huffing through a dead lift. Then, in typical Leo fashion, he clapped for himself. Like all babies, my youngest son learned this through arduous repetition. You may have seen the fascinating paper in Science Advances this week (discussed in the New York Times) analyzing 'infant-directed communication' — i.e., baby talk — in primates. That paper concludes that we talk 'orders of magnitude' more to our babies than our ape cousins do, and hypothesizes that this habit likely played a 'critical role in the emergence of human language.' In her forthcoming book, 'The Origin of Language,' evolutionary biologist Madeleine Beekman argues the genetic fluke that left our ancestors with huge brains and vocal apparatus capable of complex sound also forced us to give birth to infants so radically 'premature' that we'd have gone extinct trying to care for them as independently as other social primates do. To survive, we had to learn to yap. I spoke to Beekman about her book. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. I've read other language origin stories, including Yuval Noah Harari's 'Sapiens' and a bit of Noam Chomsky's 'Language and Mind.' Where do you diverge? They all have examples of why language is important once you have it, but no one explains how we got it. Your explanation really begins with Lucy, the first of our ancestors who could not give birth unassisted and would have had a more difficult early motherhood than modern great apes. That pushed our social evolution. What's the next big leap? There's a particular gene that we call a pseudogene because it stopped functioning [in other closely related primates]. In our species, for some reason, it got repaired and started to copy itself. That led to this ballooning brain. It also changed our throat, so we are now able to make sounds that are able to be molded into a language. [Now] babies needed to be born much earlier, way before their brain was developed. [Many scientists now believe it's this energetic cost of building our brains, not the 'obstetric dilemma' between big head and narrow pelvis, that determines when humans give birth.] They're born with extremely neuroplastic brains — they're basically sponges for information, and they needed to be such responsive and quick learners because they basically had to manipulate the individuals around them to take care of them. The baby brain is a great gateway for language to be transferred from brain to brain. All the main connections in the brain still have to be formed, and that all happens in a social context, because it all happens outside of the womb. We are extremely social because language allowed us to be extremely social. So the problem of child care forced us to learn to talk to each other? People have done calculations that show for a hunter-gatherer child, it takes 15 years before she's able to gather enough nutrients to sustain herself. For 15 years, she's dependent on other individuals. Women in the western world have been indoctrinated that you are the most important individual for your child. Of course you are, but you're not the only important individual for your child, and the more loving individuals you have around your child the better it is for them. A selection of the very best reads from The Times' 143-year archive. Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EXCLUSIVE: Beekman 1802 Founders Release Book ‘G.O.A.T. Wisdom: How to Build a Truly Great Business'
The Beekman 1802 founders are gearing up to share 15 years worth of wisdom. On July 1, Beekman 1802 founders Dr. Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell will release their book 'G.O.A.T. Wisdom: How to Build a Truly Great Business' published by the Harvard Business Review Press and available at all major booksellers. The book explores the brand's history over the past 15 years and the team's wisdom on 'how to grow a business the good old-fashioned way,' according to Ridge. More from WWD Pinterest Predicts a Digital Detox, Martha Stewart-filled Summer EXCLUSIVE: Olympic Gymnast Jordan Chiles Becomes Hero Cosmetics' Latest Global Ambassador EXCLUSIVE: Glossier Gets In on Body Care, Mists 'We thought it was a good time to relay what we had learned in that process, but also about two years ago, when we first started putting the book together, we could see this rise in tension between the haves and the have-nots, and small business and the middle class and the shrinking of the middle class,' he said. 'There were so many representations of super success… We thought there really isn't a good representation or good manual for how to grow a good, solid business, starting from main street. [At] Beekman, we really do still consider ourselves a Main Street brand, and because of that, we have a deep insight into not only Middle America, but full middle-class America.' The book is broken down into 12 key principles, such as 'Two Heads Are Better Than One,' exploring 'how to be a partner,' and 'Love Thy Neighbor,' which looks at 'how to market kindly.' 'It really does cover all the aspects of starting and growing a business, from how to make your first hires, how to delegate, how to create company culture,' Ridge said. 'It's a really great primer for people who are interested in either starting a business or making the business that they have started stronger.' The book focuses on several key themes that have driven the Beekman business, chief among them love. 'The idea of creating a love brand is something that I think companies that have started in the past five years have no notion of,' Ridge said. The book's title is, of course, inspired by the goats that supply the milk that powers Beekman 1802's microbiome-supporting products, and the overall concept of building a great, sustainable business. 'I'm a voracious reader of business books, and after you've read more than five of them, you realize it's usually always the same information,' Ridge said. 'So we had this idea of going back to old proverbs and old maxims that have been utilized for hundreds or thousands of years, the same maxims that are in every different culture… These same foundational principles that have inspired people for hundreds of years, they're still practical and useful today.' While the principles may be familiar to readers, the book's goal is to offer new and insightful ways of applying these age-old wisdoms. The book pulls from Beekman's brand history as the main narrative, as well as business psychology research to amplify the team's approach to success. While the book explores the art of business, Ridge knew that they would be speaking to several audiences with it. With that, he said the book will explore moments in the brand's history that friends and followers likely haven't heard before. 'One [reader] is the general business audience that Harvard Business Review speaks to. Then we knew that it would be our loyal customers, and so we wanted to make sure that we gave enough behind the scenes to things that they have never heard us talk about before, so that they feel like they've been rewarded for reading the book,' he said. This loyalty to their customers, who the Beekman team calls neighbors, also shines through the book's dedication, which states 'To all the neighbors who grew this.' In addition to offering consumers and business readers an inside glimpse into Beekman, it was a sort of therapeutic experience for Ridge and Kilmer-Purcell. 'When you're an entrepreneur and you're growing a business, you don't always take the time to reflect on the journey, because you're just in it,' Ridge said. While the book marks a major moment in Beekman 1802's history, Ridge said it marks a significant shift for the overall industry, as this is the first book the Harvard Business Review Press has published based on a beauty brand. In addition, the Harvard Business School will be doing a case study course on Beekman 1802 later this year. 'The fact that this was their first book that they did based on the beauty industry does show how important the beauty industry has become, just in terms of the bigger business world,' Ridge said. 'It has become such a cultural touch point for all businesses.' Best of WWD How Grooming Is Introducing Men to Self-care and Redefining Masculinity Clean Beauty Brand Ignae Makes Big U.S. Push With a New Look War Paint for Men Opens First Store in London's Carnaby Street Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Local leaders prepare to hit the runway for Mothers and Babies Fashion Gala
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – One of the area's biggest fashion shows is in a few weeks, featuring local business owners and leaders as the runway models. Mothers and Babies Perinatal Network is hosting its 11th annual Fashion Gala at the Double Tree Hotel in Downtown Binghamton on May 1. The gala is the organization's biggest fundraiser every year. This year, with the goal of raising $50,000. Several local public figures will be the models, including the Broome County District Attorney, SUNY Broome's president, and even the Rumble Ponies. Executive Director of Mothers and Babies Alicia Beekman says if you've never been to a fashion show before, this is a great one to start with. 'So, the participants don't have to dress up very fancy, but our models do. And what makes this a great community event, it is really the buy in from the community stores, the community members who are the models, and then all of the community vendors that are here. So, it is really pulling everybody together and we really just have a great time,' said Beekman. The show will run from 5:30 to 8:30 on Thursday May 1. Tickets are $40. To purchase, click here. Black Bears gearing up to Run It Back Aliza Spencer Friendship Day honors legacy of murdered Binghamton student Maine-Endwell Odyssey of the Mind team headed to world competition Local leaders prepare to hit the runway for Mothers and Babies Fashion Gala Spotlight on Broome County Humane Society Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
13-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nets' Ziaire Williams, Reece Beekman questionable Sunday vs. Knicks
Nets' Ziaire Williams, Reece Beekman questionable Sunday vs. Knicks The Brooklyn Nets are almost done with the 2024-25 NBA season, but they have one less game to play on Sunday against their crosstown rival in the New York Knicks. Brooklyn has been beat up to finish the season and while that allows some of the lesser-used players to see more playing time, that also means that they will have to shoulder more of the burden to produce. The Nets announced that forward Ziaire Williams and guard Reece Beekman are questionable for Sunday's game against the Knicks as they are dealing with their respective injuries. Williams is still dealing with right patella tendinopathy while Beekman is dealing with right calf soreness that he most likely picked up during Friday's 117-91 loss at the Minnesota Timberwolves. Williams did not play on Friday as he was dealing with the patella issue and given that the organization has not pushed players to play with injuries, it's likely that he will be missing Sunday's game against New York. Williams, 23, played in 63 games this season and averaged 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 41.2% from the field and 34.1% from three-point land. Beekman, 23, has been seeing more playing time recently as the Nets have gone into full evaluation mode to end the season and he has had some encouraging performances as the starting point guard. Over his last five games, Beekman is averaging 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 37.9% from the floor and just 12.5% from deep. When it comes to the veteran trio of Cam Johnson, D'Angelo Russell, and Day'Ron Sharpe, they have been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Knicks with their injuries that caused them to miss the past few games. Johnson is working his way through a lower back contusion, Russell is nursing a right ankle sprain, and Sharpe is dealing with a troublesome right knee sprain. With the Eastern Conference playoff seeding set outside of which teams will be the seventh and eighth seeds following the play-in tournament, New York will most likely rest all of their starters in anticipation of their playoff series against the Detroit Pistons. With that being said, Sunday could be a day for fans to see some of the younger players on both teams get as much playing time as possible in the regular-season finale.
