Papers by Arthur Saniotis
Anthropologie: International Journal of Human Diversity and Evolution , 2025
Research indicates that even short duration space flight may cause deficits to psychological heal... more Research indicates that even short duration space flight may cause deficits to psychological health. Crewed members of spaceflights are also vulnerable to various neurobehavioral problems, which may reduce psychological health, work efficiency and group cohesiveness. Mindfulness meditation as a psychological countermeasure for long-term space missions has received increasing attention. Mindfulness techniques have been shown to provide various cognitive and affective benefits in clinical settings, these have yet to be employed as a feasible psychological countermeasure for space crews. Therefore, this paper will propose that the use of mindfulness-based intervention may offer a feasible adjunct countermeasure for several psychological and performance risks for astronauts during long-term space missions.
Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology, 2024
Persistent truncus arteriosus (TA) is a congenital heart disorder that is characterized by variou... more Persistent truncus arteriosus (TA) is a congenital heart disorder that is characterized by various anomalies that can be fatal without corrective medical intervention. Surgical techniques were initially developed to correct this condition in infants, consequently, this has led to a paucity of scientific research on adults with TA. In this case study, the authors examine TA in the heart of an adult. The specimen derives from the pathology museum from the Vernon-Roberts Museum of The University of Adelaide. Given the rarity of individuals surviving with TA into adulthood, more scientific attention needs to be invested in unique people with TA in order to provide comprehensive understanding of this condition as well as adequate medical treatment and care.
Anthropological Review, Apr 4, 2024
Biotechnology has become one of the most powerful forces on the planet, since it is capable of al... more Biotechnology has become one of the most powerful forces on the planet, since it is capable of altering life processes at a molecular level. Since human bodies are dynamic biological systems, medicine requires to understand the evolutionary antecedents of Homo, especially in relation to neurohormonal regulation. Furthermore, increasing human dependence on biotechnology has led to relaxed natural selection in Homo, with subsequent increase of genetic load. In this paper, we speculate on the possible consequences of the application of parsimoniously derived biotechnologies onto the biological system of humans, with special attention to three areas: 1. human brain augmentation; 2. biotechnology and public health; 3. relaxed natural selection and genetic load. Human ability to manipulate and alter the structure and function of the body may not only make natural selection redundant but will be guided by a teleology whose purpose will seek to improve upon nature's design.
Anthropologie, 2024
Greek mythology formed the basis of much of Greek philosophy, art and science. The Greeks concept... more Greek mythology formed the basis of much of Greek philosophy, art and science. The Greeks conceptualised their universe as animated by forces and elements which they anthropomorphised as gods and other supernatural beings. However, only recently has there been increasing attention on Greek mythology as a source of advanced technological and biomedical concepts. The Greek myths are fascinating for their technological ideas pertaining to body/cognitive enhancement. This paper provides theoretical correlations between Greek mythological and socio-historic dimensions of human enhancement, and some of their current/future technological developments, hence, offering a cultural anthropological perspective.
THE MIND - Bulletin on Mind-Body Medicine Research, Dec 21, 2023
Self-healing in health-care: Using the example of mind-body medicine [Der Nutzen von Selbstheilun... more Self-healing in health-care: Using the example of mind-body medicine [Der Nutzen von Selbstheilungspotenzialen in der professionellen Gesundheitsfürsorge am Beispiel der Mind-Body-Medizin].
Cihan University Journal, 2024
The global prevalence of breast cancer reflects a profound mismatch between the evolutionary adap... more The global prevalence of breast cancer reflects a profound mismatch between the evolutionary adaptations of ancestral humans and the modern lifestyle practices of contemporary society. This discrepancy is evident in the alteration of reproductive patterns and lifestyle factors, such as earlier onset of menarche, increased ovulatory cycles, shorter lactation periods, late menopause, nulliparity, decreased physical activity levels, higher adiposity, and consumption of processed foods. These modern influences have led to unprecedented levels of estrogen exposure in women, contributing to breast cancer risk. Comparisons between traditional and modern women underscore the significant increase in menstrual cycles and reproductive cancers in the latter group. This evolutionary mismatch, characterized by changes in reproductive and lifestyle factors, poses a significant risk for the development of breast cancer in modern women.
Anthropological Review, 2024
In this article we seek to integrate theories of music origins and dance with hominin fossil anat... more In this article we seek to integrate theories of music origins and dance with hominin fossil anatomy and the paleoecological contexts of hominin evolution. Based on the association between rhythm in music, dance and locomotion, we propose that early bipedal hominins may have evolved neurobiological substrates different from other great apes due to the rhythmic aspects of bipedal walking and running. Combined with the emancipation of the hands resulting from erect posture, we propose that the neurobiological changes necessary for technological innovation, cultural practices and human musical abilities may have evolved, at least in incipient form, much earlier than previously thought. The consequent ability to synchronize movement and sound production may have also proved beneficial as early bipedal hominins ventured out of late Miocene and early Pliocene woodland and forested habitats and into more open habitats with increased predation risk. We also postulate that, along with bipedalism, paedomorphic morphogenesis of the skull at the base of the hominin clade was a necessary prerequisite for the evolution of vocal modulation and singing in later varieties of hominin. To date research into the evolution of music and dance has yet to be integrated with the fossil and paleoecological evidence of early hominin evolution. This paper seeks to fill this lacuna in the extant literature on human evolution. We also suggest that autocatalytic feedback loops evolving synergistically with hominin erect posture, skull and hand morphology, neurochemical processes and the self-domestication syndrome, have been operative from early hominins some 6 Ma to the present. We document this process by reference to primatological, ethnographic, neurochemical and archaeological data.
The Australian Journal of Anthropology, Feb 23, 2012
While anthropologists have carefully documented various Sufi orders, the bulk of these studies fo... more While anthropologists have carefully documented various Sufi orders, the bulk of these studies focus on socio-historic and organisational aspects of Sufism. This has been especially the case of Sufis in India. There is an apparent lack of examining experiential aspects Sufi mystical practices. In India, many Sufi orders are intrinsically linked with Muslim shrines. Muslim shrines are viewed by Sufi as being invested with barkat (divine blessedness, sacred power), a power generally assumed to be a gift conferred upon the saint by Allah. Consequently, Sufis often engage in their mystical practices in the proximity of Muslim shrines. The shrine of the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, located in Delhi, is a renowned thaumatological shrine which is a centre for Sufi activities. Sufis spend many years engaged in a rigorous regimen of ascetic and mystical practices. These form a central part of their daily lives at the Nizamuddin shrine. In this article, I explore the notion of mystical mastery among Indian Sufis and ways in which their ascetic practices seek to attain a mystical body. I contend that mystical mastery is a form of re-authoring the self, in that Sufis' mystical complexes permit them to transform and modify themselves through various operations on their bodies.
BMC Women's Health, Nov 24, 2022
Background: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease that has various clinical outcomes. Bax-inte... more Background: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease that has various clinical outcomes. Bax-interacting factor-1 (Bif-1) is a member of the endophilin B family that generates the pro-apoptotic BCL2-Associated X (BAX) protein in response to apoptotic signals. Lack of Bif-1 inhibits the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis and enhancements the risk of tumor genesis. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between hormone receptors (ER, PR, and HER2) status and different levels of Bif-1 gene expression in breast cancer patients. Methods: Bif-1 gene expression was evaluated in 50 breast cancer tumors and 50 normal breast mammary tissues using the SYBR Green real-time RT-PCR technique. Multivariate and univariate analyses were used to appraise the relationship between the prognostic significance of the Bif-1 gene using SPSS software. In this study, the Bif-1 was selected as a candidate for a molecular biomarker and its expression status in breast cancer patients with hormone receptors (ER, RR, and HER2) compared to patients without these hormone receptors. Results: The study showed that the relative expression of the Bif-1 gene in tissues of patients with hormone receptors in breast cancer compared to those without hormone receptors was not statistically significant. The expression levels of the Bif-1 gene in different groups were evaluated for hormone receptor status. No significant relationship was found between the Bif-1 gene expression and hormone receptors (ER, PR, and HER2) (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Bif-1 gene expression may be a useful prognostic marker in breast cancer.
Human Evolution, Dec 1, 2019
Australian Health Review, 2012
Regional Environmental Change, Jun 30, 2016
Exposure to extreme heat is a familiar seasonal experience for many rural communities across Aust... more Exposure to extreme heat is a familiar seasonal experience for many rural communities across Australia, which is projected to increase in frequency and intensity with climate change. This has wide-ranging implications for community health and well-being, livelihoods, recreation, and the natural and built environments. In this study, we have examined how rural and remote communities in South Australia experience and respond to extreme heat, and how this is influenced by physical, social and psychological aspects of place. Interviews with participants across different climatic regions of South Australia were analysed using a broad thematic framework that included physical aspects of place, human activities, social and community aspects, and relationships with place; providing a descriptive account of heat impacts and responses. We further suggest that some narratives expressed the construction of a rural or remote identity, with climate being a part of this relationship; suggesting that place identity may be a subjective aspect underpinning appraisals of extreme heat. We discuss the implications for adaptation choices in a warming climate.
Australian Health Review, 2009
Studies in global warming and climate change indicate that human populations will be deleteriousl... more Studies in global warming and climate change indicate that human populations will be deleteriously affected in the future. Studies forecast that Australia will experience increasing heat waves and droughts. Heat stress caused by frequent heat waves will have a marked effect on older Australians due to physiological and pharmacological factors. In this paper we present an overview of some of the foreseeable issues which older Australians will face from a public health
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Oct 29, 2013
Among the challenges for rural communities and health services in Australia, climate change and i... more Among the challenges for rural communities and health services in Australia, climate change and increasing extreme heat are emerging as additional stressors. Effective public health responses to extreme heat require an understanding of the impact on health and well-being, and the risk or protective factors within communities. This study draws on lived experiences to explore these issues in eleven rural and remote communities across South Australia, framing these within a socio-ecological model. Semi-structured interviews with health service providers (n = 13), and a thematic analysis of these data, has identified particular challenges for rural communities and their health services during extreme heat. The findings draw attention to the social impacts of extreme heat in rural communities, the protective factors (independence, social support, education, community safety), and challenges for adaptation (vulnerabilities, infrastructure, community demographics, housing and local industries). With temperatures increasing across South Australia, there is a need for local
Food and Nutrition Sciences, 2016
Consumption of fats and oils in the ancient world was examined as a window to human nutritional n... more Consumption of fats and oils in the ancient world was examined as a window to human nutritional needs and compared with lipid usage in the modern world, post-1900. In earlier periods, the natural and only source of edible fats and oils came from both animals and plants. These fats and oils played a vital role in the evolution of the human body structure, supporting many biochemical functions. Artifacts from prehistoric periods and the ancient world had indicated that humans were evolutionarily adapted to consume saturated lipids. They also consumed unsaturated fats and oils extracted from animals and plants, now identified as omega-3 to omega-6 in the fatty acid ratio of 1:1, commonly derived from naturally consumed unprocessed products and food sources. These fats and oils assisted in providing the ingredients for the building up of cells and maintaining their structural integrity in tissues, including the brain and other important internal organs, as well as providing energy for many biochemical processes in the body. The double bonds distributed throughout fatty acid carbon chains are a characteristic of unsaturated vegetable oils. They are more structurally diverse in polyunsaturated fats and oils with the greater preponderance for carbon-to-carbon double bonds distributed in the carbon chains. These double bonds are susceptible to generating free radicals. This article considers potential problems that proponents of the prevailing diet-heart cholesterol paradigm of the past 60 years may have neglected. It also presents the possible consequences of abandoning the evolutionarily inherited foods containing extracted natural saturated and monounsaturated fats and oils. Furthermore, the article addresses the contribution of docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids to immunity and the possible * Corresponding author. D. Roccisano et al. 690 connection of excess consumption of omega-6 fatty acid to the marked rise in obesity and other non-communicable diseases in modern civilization.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Jul 6, 2018
Improvement in workplace safety is dependent upon the active engagement of workforce leaders and ... more Improvement in workplace safety is dependent upon the active engagement of workforce leaders and designers. The university sector plays a key role in the education of these future leaders, and there is an expectation that safety education in universities will encompass more than just a safe learning environment-that is the nurturing of broader safety attitudes and awareness. However, with the exception of dedicated safety training programs, safety education is often delivered and assessed on an ad-hoc basis and at academic discretion. This is partly due to the absence of a simple tool with which curricula can be evaluated from a safety perspective. In a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with multiple stakeholders (academics, professional organizations, and students) to determine their views on existing safety content in university curricula and on the level of preparedness, from a safety perspective, for workforce entry. University participants came from nursing, mechanical engineering, and education schools at three universities. A simple curriculum evaluative tool was also validated. Results indicated there were divergent views on the level of preparedness for workforce entry both between schools and stakeholder groups. However, the limitations of university curricula were acknowledged. The evaluation tool was shown to provide positive feedback on existing, but previously unacknowledged, safety content and also highlighted areas for future improvement and integration. However, voluntary utilization of the tool was a challenge for busy academics.
E-LOGOS, Jun 1, 2007
In the last four centuries there have been a number of cosmological and evolutionary insights whi... more In the last four centuries there have been a number of cosmological and evolutionary insights which have informed our understanding of the architecture of the universe and life on earth. Nineteenth and twentieth century theories of evolution continued this speculative trend in relation to human evolution and emergence. Konstantin Khroutski's bio-cosmology paradigm offers a new insight into understanding biological and social processes. This paper provides a critical response of some areas of Khroutski's theory as well as will proposing new ways in which biocosmology can further contribute to evolutionary science.
The Australian Journal of Anthropology, Apr 1, 2008
... Sufis like Shams would usually go to multiple spiritual places within the Nizamuddin shrine c... more ... Sufis like Shams would usually go to multiple spiritual places within the Nizamuddin shrine complex and repeat similar patterns of sacred words, staying at each spiritual place ... These include Muhammad Shah (1 702-1 748), Jahanara Begum (1 6 14-168 1 ) and Mirza Jahangir. ...
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Papers by Arthur Saniotis