Have societies been patriarchal since the dawn of humanity? A new study finds remarkable levels of equality between sexes amongst hunter-gatherers. In this interview, the scientist behind the study explains the results and discusses the origins of modern patriarchy.

A new study reports remarkable equality between husbands and wives amongst existing hunter-gatherers. In this interview, the lead author explains the findings and offers some thoughts on a decade-old question in anthropology: Why is agriculture so conducive to patriarchy?

Polyandry (one woman, many husbands) is more common than has been assumed. In addition to formal polyandrous marriages, many human societies have norms around women having several male partners. This expert interview details examples of polyandry and discusses related work on sexual jealousy.

A new theory links the activities of Pleistocene hominins with Asia's headstart in agriculture and animal husbandry, thereby furthering our understanding of Eurasia's proneness to large empires during the later Holocene.

A new theory on Eurasia's outsized role in pre-modern economies suggests that the behaviours of our ice age -ancestors prepared Eurasian biomes for a headstart in agriculture and animal husbandry. This supports Diamond's theory in "Guns Germs and Steel" and rebukes more recent genetic explanations.

A new theory links Eurasia's headstart in agriculture and animal domestication with the niche construction behaviours of Pleistocene humans. This theory deepens our understanding of Eurasia's proneness to large empires and technological inventions.

[Article] Population connectivity shapes the distribution and complexity of chimpanzee cumulative culture. Gunasekaram et al.

Branko Milanovic argues that the Yugoslavian economy had genuinely successful aspects, but suffered from a low level of investment due to natural incentives of workers to prioritise immediate pay. He also suggests that this is a shared problem across similar attempts in recent history. Thoughts?

Palaeolithic evidence shows little signs of war either in the skeletal remains or in cave art. Does this mean that the Pleistocene was an epoch of peace? In this podcast episode, Luke Glowacki explains the evidence but argues against using it to rule out warfare amongst Pleistocene hunter-gatherers.

Have humans always waged war? What can modern hunter-gatherers tell us about this? What about cave paintings or other forms of archaeological evidence? In this interview, Luke Glowacki explains why scholars disagree on the evidence and what are the implications for our theories of war and peace.

Nobel-Prize Winner Daron Acemoglu: Workers have been left behind. Here is how unions can solve the problem.

Nobel-prize winner Daron Acemoglu: Workers are being left behind, but this can be fixed. And yes, unions are part of the answer.

Daron Acemoglu explains why our tech-based economy has abandoned workers without college degrees — and why fixing this requires a more optimistic view of humanity.

[Article] Violence: A view from anthropology, Douglas P. Fry

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People used to say that only men hunted in traditional societies. Feminist anthropologists challenged this in 2023. Their work has now become controversial. So what does the data say? And what's the meaning for gender equality? A new piece challenges many assumptions — old and new

Is “Man the Hunter” a myth? Did women hunt just as much as men? A new piece interviews scholars on both sides of the debate. It concludes that many questions remain open, but the recent reports of the death of "Man the Hunter" seem greatly exaggerated.

A new theory links the Neolithic Revolution to an increase in seasonality. The theory is supported by ancient climate data and, unlike previous climate-based theories, explains all global hotspots. It also explains why agriculture wasn't developed in Australia and why it spread to Europe slowly.

"Is 'Man the Hunter' Dead?" - Article on what we know about gender roles in hunting and foraging societies, current and past.

A new theory explains the origins of agriculture. According to the author, farming started due to hunter-gatherers adopting "consumption smoothing" as a solution to climate change. This is one of the first models to explain the global origins of agriculture beyond the Middle East.

A new theory explains why agriculture started, when it started, and where it started. Based on ancient climate data, the author argues that the Neolithic Revolution was not linked to global warming. Instead, it was linked to an increase in seasonality in the northern hemisphere and the sub-tropics.

Were First Nations More Complex Further North on the West Coast?

The Industrial Revolution did not change the broad shape of economic history. The shift towards modern prosperity only started around 1870 due to a mix of corporate R&D and the demographic transition. (With Brad DeLong)

Is there any evidence that Neanderthals and very early Homo sapiens dealt with mental health issues?

Prof Peter Railton argues that trolley problems have been misused to support a distinction between reason and emotion in moral decision making. Many of the common responses to trolley problems reflect genuine moral insights, even when based on a “gut feeling”.