- Humans, or modern humans (Homo sapiens), are the most common and widespread species of primate. A great ape characterized by their hairlessness, bipedalism, and high intelligence, humans have a large brain and resulting cognitive skills that enable them to thrive in varied environments and develop complex societies and civilizations. Humans are highly social and tend to live in complex social structures composed of many cooperating and competing groups, from families and kinship networks to political states. As such, social interactions between humans have established a wide variety of values, social norms, languages, and rituals, each of which bolsters human society. The desire to understand and influence phenomena has motivated humanity’s development of science, technology, philosophy, mythology, religion, and other frameworks of knowledge. Humans in fact study themselves, through such domains as anthropology, social science, history, psychology and medicine.
- Pinecroft Natural Area Preserve (dnr.wa.gov)
Situated atop a knoll just east of Spokane, this 100 acre site preserves the largest of only a few remaining examples of a ponderosa pine/grassland ecosystem that was historically much more common in the Spokane Valley. Despite an increasing level of urban development in the surrounding landscape, the preserve still supports nesting hawks and owls, and a variety of songbirds.