The Ik – among the poorest people on Earth – have been cast as exemplars of human selfishness. The truth is much more startling Slabs of sunlight break through the mist, illuminating the bright pastel ripples of Oribo Valley, the valley I’m named after. I’ve been given this name by the Ik people I’m living […]
Marco Polo all over again – Our Response to the Rise of China
Marco Polo all over again – Our Response to the Rise of China “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer I am watching the Netflix series “Marco Polo”. If you like to learn a bit of History and also […]
How human population came from our ability to cooperate
Humans may owe their place as Earth’s dominating species to their ability to share and cooperate with each other, according to a new study published in the Journal of Anthropological Research. In “How There Got to Be So Many of Us: The Evolutionary Story of Population Growth and a Life History of Cooperation,” Karen L. […]
Inside the slimy underground hunt for humanity’s antibiotic saviour
Faced with an onslaught of new, drug-resistant superbugs, determined scientists are venturing into the depths of the Earth in search of rare and unusual bacteria that may form the basis of tomorrow’s antibiotics. …the true function of such metabolites in nature may be to act as a form of language between bacteria, enabling them to communicate […]