What was it like to grow up in the last Ice Age?

Share This Post

We often overlook the role of children in prehistory, assuming they were naive figures free of responsibility. But recent research is revealing the way Ice Age children contributed meaningfully to their community, from herding animals to making stone tools. Take for example a roughly 10,000 year old child’s burial in France, where hundreds of tiny beads made from Dentalium shells were found around their body. It likely would have taken 15-20 hours to produce the nine metres of beads found embroidered onto the child’s clothing, showing the grief their community must have felt at their passing. Read full article here

More To Explore

Culture

The Priest in the Arena

The phrase “man in the arena” has been popularized in recent years, but a lesser known, more dangerous archetype is the “priest in the arena”. This figure is responsible for a process called theocratic capture, where an institution surrenders to a cult demanding unaccountable authority, fueled by claims to privileged knowledge. These cults often target powerful institutions and attempt to monopolize conversations with scaremongering tactics and hostile treatment of allies. It is important to identify and stop theocratic capture before it can gain control. Read full article here

Science

Maps Distort How We See the World

Maps have a major impact on how we perceive the world, as they often distort reality. One example is the Mercator projection, which can make countries closer to the equator appear smaller than they actually are. Africa is an especially stark example, as it’s much larger than it appears on a map. This distortion can lead to a poor intuition for comparative region sizes, with Brazil being the most short-changed. It’s even big enough that its northernmost point is closer to Canada than its southernmost point! While international maps are chosen for good reasons, they can be deceitful. Read full article here

Do You want to embrace intellectual freedom and join our premium users?

FASCINATING READS, SUMMARISED

The occasional email full of conversation-worthy content