Groups Among Human Species
This overview looks at five periods of hominin species, tracing the evolution of group behavior through their overall phenotype, the details of individual senses and signals, and varied links between individuals.
Environment
Group Behavior Among Animals
The information that animals take in—combined with the signals they outwardly project—has enabled the formation of groups and group behavior. This development can be traced throughout the Animal Kingdom from early times to the present.
Environment Since the 1980s
Environmental degradation continues to outpace reform. What are the key factors driving this crisis and humanity’s understanding of it? And what might offer the best chance of limiting environmental collapse?
A Timeline of the Rise of Environmentalism: 1940s–1970s
Climate and the environment are top policy issues today. In this blog post—the first in a two-part series—I trace the history of these topics. I… Read More »A Timeline of the Rise of Environmentalism: 1940s–1970s
Early Modern History: Porcelain and the Yellow River in China
Early Modern History, a subfield of World History, explores the centuries before 1800 CE. The Journal of Early Modern History, since 1997, has shown the… Read More »Early Modern History: Porcelain and the Yellow River in China
The Lithosphere
The extraction of minerals from the Earth today—the most dangerous change in our environmental crisis—is also essential to life as we know it. In a 2017 interview, ecological historian Gregory Cushman explains his work on humanity’s relationship with the lithosphere and provides valuable insights into this issue.
To Limit Pollution and Improve Social Welfare, Stop Focusing on Growth
Plastic, cardboard, and methane are being produced, used, and thrown away in growing quantities. This threatens to destroy the social fabric of life on Earth—not to mention life itself. For decades, economic growth has been billed as the only path forward: With a booming economy, there will finally be enough to go around for everyone, and social welfare can then be improved. But there is already enough to go around. To improve social welfare, what we need now is to share more of what is currently being produced.