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Around 1200 BC, the most sophisticated network of civilizations the ancient world had ever produced collapsed within a single generation. Archaeologist Eric Cline has spent his career reconstructing why, and the answer is more unsettling than a single catastrophic event. Cline tells us what we can learn today from that disaster about how to avoid a similar chain-effect collapse of our own civilization. youtube.com/watch?v=eCkT2B…

New research indicates humans experimented with symbolic writing as much as 40,000 years ago. This recontextualizes the history of human communication, given the earliest known written languages are Mesopotamian dating back to around 3000 BCE. bit.ly/4bgcRYw

Economists have long used forecasting and predictions to approach the unknown. But the accuracy of such crystal balling is more often flawed than not—and for a variety of complex and interrelated reasons. bit.ly/4l1rmEd

The adult takeover of childhood has created a crisis of anxiety in both children and parents. Author Lenore Skenazy lays out the unexpected benefits of letting our kids be more “free range” — and shows why the most teachable moments happen when parents aren’t there. bit.ly/4aPoNC9

In his book, ‘End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration’, Russian-American complexity scientist @Peter_Turchin examines the interplay of factors that, he asserts, repeatedly throw societies into decay, crisis, and often violent collapse. humanjourney.us/economy/end-ti…

Our perception of time is inherently skewed by our self-centered view of life. But as Hugh McGilvery writes, while most of us may never grasp time’s true nature, there are things we can do to gain a less self-centered perspective—and which brings its own benefits. bit.ly/3YUI0t3

"Style-shifting", a linguistics term which describes changes in our patterns of speech around different people, reflects the idea that we all embody many personas that reveal themselves according to circumstance. bit.ly/4oQwJGB

Concrete underpins modern life—but its production carries a staggering environmental cost, with global demand only set to grow. New solutions offer promising pathways to make concrete less polluting and to rethink how we build. bit.ly/48J46Fh

In their book, 'God 4.0', authors Robert Ornstein and Sally Mallam combine ancient teachings with modern science to come up with a new psychology of spiritual experience. The result is a stunning unification of science and tradition towards a revolutionary concept of self-development that could help address the challenges of the modern world. malorbooks.com/titles/god-4-0…

Given the unreliability of economic forecasts, is there a way to make our predictions in economics a little more accurate, or, at the very least, more useful? bit.ly/43kWt5Z

In some cultures, especially those of the Middle East, stories or ‘fairy tales’ have several functions. Beyond providing entertainment, inculcating morals, and passing on culture, they also provide the basis for more advanced instruction later in life. bit.ly/4oRprCH

In OUR DOLLAR, YOUR PROBLEM Kenneth Rogoff, Harvard University professor and former chief economist at the IMF, explains why the primacy of the US dollar has endured for so long, while its future remains highly untenable. bit.ly/3LmLtPf

A meta-story is a special kind of narrative. It conveys overarching insights and a bigger picture beyond the explicit tale presented. The most impactful meta-stories accustom the reader's mind to an alternate consciousness: one that is illogical, incongruous, and timeless. bit.ly/3uEYCvg

New discoveries on the Greek island of Naxos, long thought to be uninhabited until around 7,000 years ago, is rewriting assumptions about human and Neanderthal migration, navigation and life in the Aegean. bit.ly/3W4pyhW @newlinesmag

Can we move beyond the common human tendency to think in largely dualistic terms? The wellbeing of our societies, and even their survival, may in part, depend on it. bit.ly/3RZneWK

“Stories are actually a form of technology. They are tools that were designed by our ancestors to alleviate depression, reduce anxiety, kindle creativity, spark courage and meet a variety of other psychological challenges of being human.” bit.ly/3IvGgQo

Batteries power the clean energy transition, but current technology is falling short. Breakthroughs in chemistry, design, and policy will decide how quickly better batteries arrive, and how much they reshape our energy future. bit.ly/42eoLyn