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The Origins of Modern China

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Aug 28

haha you are so right! on point

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Aug 21

3/3 Complement with the "Origins of Modern China", inspired by the pathbreaking work of @yashenghuang.bsky.social.

onhumans.substack.com/p/read-this-...

The story of China is not just the story of one nation. It is the story of a large chunk of humanity — at times a quarter of our species. And for better or worse, it is the story that is now shaping t...

The Origins of Modern India

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Aug 21

2/3 Prefer reading to listening?

Check out my essay on "The Origins of Modern India". It outlines the key findings of Gupta's work and relates them to the debates about Great Divergence and the British Empire.
onhumans.substack.com/p/the-origin...

Each winter, cool air from the Himalayas descends on Indian harbours. These winds once pushed fleets of merchant ships to both the east and the west. Like clockwork, these ships would later be sucked ...

The Great Question of History: India, Britain, and the Fates of Nations | Live at the British Academy

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Aug 21

What does the story of India reveal about the big questions of world history?

I got to talk about this at the British Academy. What an honour! Recording out now.

This was at the book launch of B. Gupta's "Economic History of India", hosted by the always-inspiring @cagewarwick.bsky.social.
1/3

On Humans · Episode

open.spotify.com

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On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Aug 18

Farming changed everything. But why did humans start doing something so... weird?

@andreamatranga.bsky.social might have the answer!

This was one of my all-time favourite episodes. Here it is as an encore, wrapping up this summer's climate trilogy.

Listen: open.spotify.com/episode/0kK8...

Read:

Why Agriculture?

Our ancestors lived from hunting and gathering. Suddenly, humans around the world abandoned this way of life. Why?

Climate, Water, and the Origins of Colonialism

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On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Jul 21

Climate.
Colonialism.
Hot topics.

But do they relate? Yes, according to Tirthankar Roy. And not just for climate justice.

Author of the Origins of Colonialism, Roy argues that we cannot understand the rise of British Empire without understanding the monsoon climate.

Is he right?

Listen now!

How did Europeans become the rulers of vast lands in Africa and Asia? According to Tirthankar Roy, we cannot understand this without a keen eye on the waters and the weathers.

How Climate Crafted Humanity—Or Did It?

5

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Jul 7

Climate changed.
Africa dried up.
Jungles gave way to savanna.
A certain ape ventured onto the grasslands.
Humanity was born.

So goes a popular theory in human evolution.

Is it true? 👀

Check the new episode with Yale's Jessica Thompson!

onhumans.substack.com/p/how-climat...

In a new podcast episode, Yale professor Jessica Thompson helps us understand the long relationship between humanity and climate change.

Reposted by On Humans Podcast

Václav Hrnčíř @vaclavhrncir.bsky.social · May 24

I really enjoyed this five-episode series.

Among other things, I appreciate the summary essay of each episode. It should be standard for every podcast.👏

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Mar 26

"The Origins of Humankind" is now live! 👏

We’ve assembled the world’s leading experts to reconstruct humanity’s 4-billion-year origin story—with cutting-edge science as our guide.

The first episode is out now!

Listen. Read. Subscribe. All for free at:
👉 onhumans.substack.com/origins

Origins of Humankind

Where do we come from?

The Untold Story of Japan's First People

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Reposted by On Humans Podcast

SAPIENS Magazine @sapiens.org · May 8

From the archive. “For much of the 20th century, the Ainu narrative created by outsiders revolved around their demise. But something else caught the attention of Japanese colonists and others traveling to Mosir: the Ainu’s relationship with bears.”
Read more: www.sapiens.org/archaeology/...

In the 20th century, Japanese anthropologists and officials tried to hide the existence of the Indigenous Ainu. Then the Ainu fought back.

www.sapiens.org

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On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · May 9

Sex cells are binary. But humans are not sex cells. To understand humans we must move beyond a male-female binary.

Or so argues Augustin Fuentes, author of the new book, Sex is a Spectrum.

Is he right?

Tune in to our chat! 🎧 onhumans.substack.com/p/an-essenti...

@anthrofuentes.bsky.social

An Essential Difference? Males, Females, and the Spaces In Between

A new podcast episode with Agustín Fuentes explores the meaning of biological sex.

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Reposted by On Humans Podcast

Joanne Loyear @jll229jll.bsky.social · May 8

It’s official a Pope has been chosen! They haven’t released the name yet so we only know this one thing…It isn’t Trump… he would have proclaimed his deity before the smoke left the chimney! 🤡💥

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On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · May 8

Oh thank you!! All praise is nice, but this hits especially well 😄

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · May 3

Reading now. Super interesting!

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · May 3

Haha, 100% correct. "Covered it all" was a hyperbole. More accurate: "all the key epochs, even if only from some angles" ;)

On symbolic thought: I discussed this in more depth with Ian Tattersall last year. Suggestions on who to talk to next? Francesco D'Errico? Chris Knight? Lyn Wadley?

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On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · May 2

For all episodes, head to:
🔗 onhumans.substack.com/p/origins

This broke all records in the show’s history. Huge thanks to every listener and reader who made it happen! 🙏🎉

Origins of Humankind

Where do we come from?

Origins of Humankind, Part V: The Rest is History

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On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · May 2

Okay. It’s over.

We’ve covered it all: the origin of life, human evolution, the spread of Homo sapiens.

Now, an epic epilogue — The Holocene Story!

🙏Grateful to Johannes Krause, Dean Falk, @chrisbstringer.bsky.social & @timcoulson.bsky.social. What a journey!

🎧 65 min
📖 15 min
bit.ly/42RumtX

In the final episode of The Origins of Humankind, Johannes Krause helps us fly over the vast plains human history.

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On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · May 2

Oh glad to hear!! My guest, Helen Fisher, passed away last year. I think she is one of the all time greats in her field, and perhaps the guest I most enjoyed talking with. Glad it resonated!

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Apr 18

This is part 4 of The Origins of Humankind, produced together with @cartaucsd.bsky.social. Earlier episodes:

#1 The Story of Life, with @timcoulson.bsky.social
#2 Early Hominins, with Dean Falk
#3 Genus Homo, with @chrisbstringer.bsky.social

onhumans.substack.com/p/origins

Origins of Humankind

Where do we come from?

The Origins of Humankind, Part IV: A Human Like No Other

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On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Apr 18

How did Homo sapiens become the first global species of humans? 🌎

Join Johannes Krause and I as we explore the epic migrations of humanity!

Listen. Read. All for free at:
👉 onhumans.substack.com/p/a-human-li...

#Archaeology #Anthropology #HumanEvolution

This is where our story truly begins! In episode 4 of The Origins of Humankind, we follow the rise and spread of Homo sapiens.

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On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Apr 18

oh this looks good, thank you!

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Apr 17

Sure, agreed on etymology! Palaeolithic is tough to say. Ethnography and logic would make me assume that settlement and slavery as we think of it went hand in hand. But who knows !

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Apr 17

This is interesting! But slavery existed in somewhat familiar forms in the Americas, too. Right?

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Apr 16

14/ These are some preliminary thoughts. What did I miss? Do any of you thoughtful people have comments?
@delong.social
@lukeglowacki.bsky.social
@edhagen.net
@andreamatranga.bsky.social
@brankomilan.bsky.social
@davidwengrow.bsky.social

Labor, land, and the global dynamics of economic inequality | PNAS

On Humans Podcast @ilarimakela.bsky.social · Apr 16

13/ Quite the opposite: they suggest a very important mechanism for this general trend: inheritance of scarce land. See Kohler but also Bogaard et al.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Here, we assess the extent to which land use relating to food acquisition (farming, herding, foraging) and associated value regimes shaped past eco...

www.pnas.org