Editor's Selections: Obsidian Blades, Racial Ancestry, Online Self Esteem, Carnivores and Communities, and Home

This week in the social sciences on ResearchBlogging.org:

• Julien Riel-Salvatore has a short, but fascinating discussion on the merits of obsidian blades at A Very Remote Period Indeed.

• At Gene Expression, Razib Khan presents a clear and engaging discussion on the racial ancestry of Brazilians.

• With typical flair, Scicurious of Neurotic Physiology tackles a recent digital media study investigating self esteem and online presence, highlighting areas for skepticism that are worth noting.

• DeLene Beeland explores how the nature of social communities can impact preservation efforts with regard to carnivores at Wild Muse.

• At Language on the Move, Ingrid Pillar muses on the meaning of "home," and the ways language can help and hinder ties for transnationals.